Grandi welcomes election of Barham Salih as UN High Commissioner for Refugees

GENEVA - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi today welcomed the election by the General Assembly in New York of former President of Iraq Barham Salih as his successor to lead UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

The incoming High Commissioner was selected after a competitive process in New York that attracted candidates from various countries. Salih is expected to assume office on 1 January 2026 and will also be based in Geneva.

"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," said Grandi.

Grandi's 10-year tenure as High Commissioner will conclude on 31 December 2025. He became High Commissioner in January 2016 and has since led UNHCR's response to major displacement crises worldwide, including in Syria, Ukraine and Sudan.

Despite deep cuts in humanitarian funding this year, UNHCR remains present in 128 countries with nearly 90 per cent of its more than 14,600 staff working in the field. This month, UNHCR marks 75 years of protecting people forced to flee.

Read the press release issued by the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General in New York.

News contacts:

• In Geneva, Matthew Saltmarsh: [email protected], +41 79 967 99 36
• In Geneva, Babar Baloch, [email protected], +41 79 513 95 49
• In Geneva, Eujin Byun, [email protected], +41 79 747 87 19

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