NAIROBI,Kenya,Dec 19— Newly elected United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih has pledged to build on reforms undertaken in recent years to strengthen UNHCR’s operational effectiveness, accountability and value for money, as the agency confronts record levels of global displacement and tightening humanitarian budgets.
Salih, a former Iraqi president and one-time refugee, was elected on Thursday by the 193-member United Nations General Assembly after being nominated by Secretary-General António Guterres.
He will succeed Italy’s Filippo Grandi, who has led the UN refugee agency since 2016.
In his first statement following the election, Salih said his leadership would focus on impact and efficiency while keeping refugees at the centre of the agency’s work.
“I am honoured to have been elected as the incoming United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,” Salih said, noting that his own experience of displacement had shaped his understanding of the life-changing importance of protection and opportunity.
He said this perspective would guide a leadership approach rooted in empathy, pragmatism and a principled commitment to international law.
At a time when more than 100 million people worldwide have been forced from their homes, Salih acknowledged the severe pressure facing humanitarian systems and donor resources.
He said UNHCR would sharpen its focus on results, accountability and the efficient use of funds.
“Delivering on UNHCR’s mandate requires a renewed focus on impact, accountability and efficiency,” Salih said.
“UNHCR will build on the important reforms undertaken in recent years to strengthen operational effectiveness and value for money.”
He added that addressing displacement could not be the agency’s task alone, pledging to work closely with UN member states and partners across the public, private and philanthropic sectors to mobilise resources and capacity for those most in need.
Salih said his foremost responsibility would be to refugees and others forced to flee, stressing the need to uphold their rights and dignity while advancing durable solutions so that displacement does not become a permanent condition.
UNHCR operates in more than 130 countries, working with governments and partners to protect refugees, stateless people and other forcibly displaced communities, and to support access to asylum, safety and long-term solutions.
In Kenya, where UNHCR has been active for more than five decades, the agency plays a central role in supporting one of Africa’s largest and most protracted refugee situations.
The country hosts one of the continent’s biggest refugee populations, largely from Somalia and South Sudan, alongside others from across the East, Horn and Great Lakes regions