Barham Salih elected United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (December 19, 2025)

France congratulates former President of Iraq Barham Salih on his election to the position of UN High Commissioner for Refugees by the UN General Assembly on December 18. France assures him of its full support in the fulfillment of his mandate at the helm of the organization over the next five years.

With the number of forcibly displaced people and stateless persons nearly doubling over the last ten years and reaching close to 135 million in 2025, the UNHCR’s work and mandate are essential to protecting and defending their rights, with respect for the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. France likewise supports the UNHCR’s efforts to provide the necessary support to host communities and to facilitate dignified, lasting voluntary returns, consistent with the 2018 Global Compact on Refugees.

France will continue to support the work of the UNHCR, in particular in the main crises, such as those in Sudan and neighboring countries, the Great Lakes region, and Ukraine, and in support of refugee women from Afghanistan.

France applauds the work accomplished by Filippo Grandi, whom Barham Salih is succeeding and who served as the head of the UNHCR from 2016 to 2025.