ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Former Iraqi President and prominent Kurdish politician Barham Salih took office as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Thursday, reiterating his commitment to supporting refugees and addressing challenges they face.

“Today I begin my tenure as High Commissioner for UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees],” Salih wrote on X.

The Kurdish politician said he will seek to work with UN partners and host nations to “protect refugees, deliver durable solutions, and confront the displacement crises affecting millions of people.”

Former UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi wished Salih “godspeed, strength, and best wishes” in his new role.

Salih thanked Grandi for his “leadership, humanity, and steadfast commitment to refugees worldwide,” telling his predecessor: “You leave a powerful legacy that I will strive to build upon.”

Salih was selected from a list of shortlisted candidates by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in December.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees leads the UN agency that protects and supports refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless people worldwide, playing a key role in conflict zones and major humanitarian crises.

Of the eleven commissioners since the establishment of the posting in 1950, nine have been from European countries, thus making the former Iraqi president's appointment a globalizing departure from the norm.

Salih has previously held several top positions in both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, long having been a prominent voice for moderation, reform, and inclusive governance.

He served two terms as prime minister of the Kurdistan Region (2001–2004, 2009–2012), was Iraq’s deputy prime minister (2004-2009), and was minister of planning in the transitional government (2005).

He later served as Iraq’s president from 2018 to 2022, losing re-election to current President Abdul Latif Rashid.

One of Salih’s significant roles in international affairs came in 2007, when he represented the Iraqi government in launching the International Compact with Iraq, an initiative to build a prosperous, democratic, and federal country with international support.

Earlier, in late 1976, he became a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) Department of Europe, overseeing the party’s foreign relations from London.

The Kurdish politician was arrested at least twice during Saddam Hussein’s rule for his involvement in Kurdish nationalist movements.

Salih also founded the American University of Iraq in Sulaimani in 2007, one of the region’s leading universities, aimed at advancing higher education and fostering academic exchange and critical thinking.