Dr. Barham Salih delivers a speech after election as High Commissioner. Screenshot from PBS.
On December 18, 2025, the UN General Assembly elected former President of Iraq Barham Salih as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He is expected to assume office on January 1, 2026. Salih will lead the UNHCR, commonly known as the UN Refugee Agency.
The selection occurred during a competitive process in New York and included candidates from all over the world. Salih will be based in Geneva.
“I am honored to have been elected as the incoming United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. As a former refugee, I know firsthand how protection and opportunity can change the course of a life,” commented Barham in a statement. “That experience will inform a leadership approach grounded in empathy, pragmatism, and a principled commitment to international law. My foremost responsibility will be to refugees, and others forced to flee, upholding their rights and dignity and advancing durable solutions so that displacement remains a temporary situation, not a permanent fate.”
He continued, “At a time of record displacement and severe pressure on humanitarian resources, delivering on UNHCR’s mandate requires a renewed focus on impact, accountability, and efficiency. This is a shared responsibility. UNHCR will build on the important reforms undertaken in recent years to strengthen operational effectiveness and value for money. I will work with Member States and partners across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors to mobilize the capacity, resources, and collective will needed to reach those most in need.”
Salih expressed gratitude to Secretary-General António Guterres, the General Assembly, and outgoing Commissioner Filippo Grandi.
“I look forward to working closely with UNHCR’s dedicated staff, states, partners, host communities, and, most importantly, refugees themselves to advance protection and durable solutions fit for both the promise and the perils of the 21st century.”
“Barham Salih brings decades of high-level public service, marked by steady leadership and thoughtful diplomacy. Coming from a country recently marked by conflict, persecution and displacement, he has first-hand experience of the challenges many refugees face today. His background and experience make him well suited to lead UNHCR at a time of large-scale displacement and increasingly complex humanitarian and political challenges,” commented Grandi.
Grandi has served as High Commissioner since 2016.
According to a release from the UN Secretary-General, Salih has served twice as Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (from 2001 to 2004 and again from 2009 to 2012). He served as Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq from 2004 to 2009 while concurrently working as Minister of Planning from 2004 to 2006. Salih played a central role in Iraq’s post-2003 reconstruction and economic recovery.
Salih currently serves as Senior Fellow (non-resident) at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School and as Leadership Fellow (non-resident) at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.
Salih is also the founder and Chairman of the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). He holds a PhD in Statistics and Computer Applications in Engineering from the University of Liverpool and a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering from Cardiff University.
Ark Valley Voice recently covered a UNHCR report on how extreme weather drives displacement.