Kurdish Leaders Congratulate Dr. Barham Salih on Appointment as UN Refugee Agency Chief

Peregraf - Senior Kurdish leaders have extended congratulations to Dr. Barham Salih following his appointment as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), hailing the move as a source of pride for the Kurdistan Region and Iraq and expressing full support for his humanitarian mission.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated Salih, describing his appointment as a testament to the international community’s confidence in his political, diplomatic, and leadership experience. Barzani said the assumption of such a senior global role reflects positively on Kurdistan and Iraq, noting that Salih will oversee one of the world’s most critical humanitarian files. Emphasizing Kurdistan’s own history of displacement, Barzani said he was confident Salih would play an influential role in alleviating the suffering of refugees worldwide and reaffirmed full support for his success.

Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Masrour Barzani also conveyed his congratulations, expressing pride in seeing a Kurdish figure assume a high-ranking United Nations position. In his message, Masrour Barzani said he was confident Salih would successfully carry out his responsibilities and reiterated the Kurdistan Regional Government’s full support.

KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani likewise congratulated Dr. Barham Salih on his appointment as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, joining a broad chorus of political support from across the Kurdistan Region.

The congratulatory messages followed Salih’s first statement after his election, issued on Wednesday, in which he pledged to place refugees’ rights, dignity, and durable solutions at the center of his mandate amid record levels of global displacement.

Salih said he was “honoured” to take on the role, underscoring that his personal experience as a former refugee would shape his leadership. “As a former refugee, I know first-hand how protection and opportunity can change the course of a life,” he said, stressing that his approach would be grounded in empathy, pragmatism, and a principled commitment to international law.

He emphasized that displacement should never become permanent, stating, “Displacement must remain a temporary situation, not a permanent fate,” and reaffirmed that his foremost responsibility would be to refugees and others forced to flee.

Addressing the wider global context, Salih pointed to the unprecedented scale of forced displacement and mounting pressure on humanitarian resources, describing refugee protection as a shared international responsibility. He pledged to strengthen UNHCR’s impact, accountability, and efficiency, building on reforms undertaken in recent years and working closely with member states and partners across public, private, and philanthropic sectors.

Salih also expressed gratitude to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN General Assembly for their confidence, and paid tribute to outgoing High Commissioner Filippo Grandi for his leadership during what he described as a period of extraordinary global challenge.

“I look forward to working closely with UNHCR’s dedicated staff, states, partners, host communities, and, most importantly, refugees themselves,” Salih said, “to advance protection and durable solutions fit for both the promise and the perils of the 21st century.”