Former Iraq president named UN refugee chief, document shows
· The Straits TimesGENEVA - Iraq’s former president Barham Salih has been chosen as the next High Commissioner for Refugees for the United Nations, a letter showed on Dec 12, breaking with a tradition of appointing leaders from major donor countries.
The letter, signed by UN chief Antonio Guterres and dated Dec 11, says Mr Salih has been appointed for a five-year term beginning Jan 1, 2026.
He replaces Italy’s Mr Filippo Grandi, a veteran UN official, who has held the position since 2016.
The appointment is provisional and needs to be approved by UN refugee agency UNHCR’s Executive Committee, the document showed.
Mr Salih, a British-educated engineer from Iraq’s Kurdish region, faces major challenges with global displacement at record highs and about double the level it was when Mr Grandi first began.
In parallel, funding has fallen in 2025 as key donors like the United States have cut back and other Western donors have shifted funds to defence.
About a dozen candidates were competing for the role, including several politicians, as well as an IKEA executive, an emergency room doctor and a TV personality.
More than half of them were from Europe, in keeping with a tradition of the Geneva-based agency’s chief coming from top donor states. REUTERS