OTTAWA, CANADA – It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Gary Troeller, former UNHCR Representative in Canada who served here in the mid-1990s. Mr. Troeller had a long and distinguished career with UNHCR, serving in several countries in Europe and Asia and as Chief of the Resettlement Section in the Division of International Protection.
Mr. Troeller was a recognized scholar in the role of humanitarian agencies in complex peace operations, refugee resettlement and international politics and was widely published in these areas. He taught at many leading universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Swedish International Peace Operations Training Center and Lester Pearson International Peacekeeping Centre, among others. He obtained a PhD from the University of Cambridge and attended the University of Oxford, American University of Beirut and Penn State University.
Besides his many professional accomplishments, he was a person of great integrity who led by example and possessed a wonderful sense of humour. He is survived by his wife Lily, his two sons Kenan and Kerim and his daughter Melissa.