Former Iraqi president Barham Salih has been selected as the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) — a notable break from the organization’s long-standing tradition of appointing heads from major donor countries, according to official documents and multiple news reports. 

In a letter dated December 11 and signed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Salih was appointed to a five-year term beginning January 1, 2026, pending formal approval by UNHCR’s Executive Committee, the document shows. 

Salih will succeed Italy’s Filippo Grandi, a veteran UN humanitarian official who has led the Geneva-based agency since 2016. Grandi’s tenure has been marked by record global displacement, with the number of forcibly displaced people roughly doubling over the past eight years. 

A British-educated engineer from Iraq’s Kurdish region, Salih’s selection stands out in a competitive field of about a dozen candidates that included senior politicians, corporate leaders, and professionals from outside traditional donor states. More than half of the contenders were European — reflecting the historic norm for the agency’s leadership. 

The global context for his potential leadership is daunting: worldwide displacement remains at record highs, fuelled by multiple ongoing crises, from Sudan and Gaza to Ukraine and Myanmar, even as UNHCR faces a widening funding shortfall amid cuts from major contributors such as the United States and shifting priorities among European governments. 

If confirmed by the Executive Committee and later by the UN General Assembly, Salih would become one of the most prominent Iraqi and Kurdish figures to head a major UN body, charged with guiding the agency through one of the most challenging eras in its history.