Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani meets with former Iraqi President Barham Salih in Erbil on Dec. 15, 2024.
Barzani congratulates Barham Salih on UNHCR role
BAGHDAD — Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani congratulated former Iraqi President Barham Salih during a phone call on Saturday following his selection to lead the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
In a statement, Barzani’s office said, “President Masoud Barzani, during a phone call, extended his congratulations to Dr. Barham Salih on the occasion of assuming the position of head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.”
The statement said Barzani expressed his pleasure that “a Kurdish figure has assumed this important position at the level of the United Nations,” and wished Salih “success and good fortune in his future duties.”
Salih was selected by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to head UNHCR. U.S. Special Envoy to Iraq Mark Savaya welcomed the decision, writing on X, “With deep sincerity, I would like to thank United Nations Secretary General Tony Guterres for his decisive support in selecting the sharp and visionary leader and former President of Iraq, Dr. Barham Salih, to lead UNHCR.”
Savaya added, “There is no one more deserving of this responsibility, especially as someone who once experienced life as a refugee himself,” calling the appointment “a historic source of pride for the Iraqi people.”
Salih served as president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022 and previously held senior posts including prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government and deputy prime minister of the federal government. Under UN procedures, the secretary-general’s recommendation is to be submitted to the UN General Assembly for approval before the end of the current UNHCR chief’s term on Dec. 31, 2025.