GENEVA: Barham Salih, a former Iraqi president who fled persecution under Saddam Hussein, has been appointed the next UN High Commissio­ner for Refugees, breaking the tradition of selecting leaders mainly from major European donor nations.

A letter from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, dated December 11, confirmed Salihs five-year term starting January 1, pending UNHCR committee approval. He will succeed Italys Filippo Grandi, who has led the agency since 2016. A UNHCR spokesperson declined to comment, while a UN spokesperson said the process was ongoing.

Salih, who studied engineering in Britain to escape Saddam’s rule, served as Iraq’s president from 2018 to 2022. He takes over as global displacement hits record highs — roughly double the level when Grandi began — while funding falls sharply.

Key donors like the United States under US President Donald Trump have cut contributions, and others have shifted funds to defence.

Salih, from Iraq’s Kurdish region, has pledged to ensure that refugees are not trapped in what he called cycles of dependency and have access to education and jobs. “I believe deeply in UNHCR’s mission — because I have lived it,” he said in remarks during the campaign.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2025