ByREUTERS

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday elected Barham Salih, a former Iraqi president who fled persecution under Saddam Hussein, as the next UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Salih was elected without a vote by the 193-member assembly after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nominated him to succeed Italy’s Filippo Grandi, who has led the agency since 2016.

Salih will begin a five-year term on January 1, 2026.

The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of UNAMI, Dr. Mohamed Al Hassan monitors officials working at a polling station inside Al-Rasheed Hotel during the parliamentary election in Baghdad, Iraq, November 11, 2025.
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of UNAMI, Dr. Mohamed Al Hassan monitors officials working at a polling station inside Al-Rasheed Hotel during the parliamentary election in Baghdad, Iraq, November 11, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/THAIER AL-SUDANI)

UN set to end Iraq mission UNAMI after two decades

Salih's appointment follows the UN Security Council's decision to "wind down the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) by the end of 2025,” according to the Saudi Arabia-based newspaper Arab News.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) has been a mainstay in Iraq for two decades, since the US invasion of the country.

Seth J. Frantzman contributed to this report.