Belfer Center Senior Fellow Barham A. Salih Appointed United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Cambridge, MA — December 18, 2025 — The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School is proud to announce that Dr. Barham A. Salih, a Senior Fellow at the Center, has been appointed the 12th United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). His five-year term will begin on January 1, 2026, following election by the UN General Assembly, to lead the world’s principal institution charged with providing international protection to refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, and returnees. 

The High Commissioner is entrusted with a global mandate, established by the UN General Assembly, to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of refugees, to mobilize international cooperation, and to pursue durable, humane solutions for displaced people around the world.  

“This is a moment of great pride for the Belfer Center. Barham has been a treasured part of our community for the last year and a half, and we are thrilled that he will bring his extraordinary talents to this critical mission of addressing the needs of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Barham, as both a former head of state and a former refugee himself, knows what displacement does to families and nations and has devoted his life to building bridges where others saw only divides,” states Meghan L. O’Sullivan, Director of the Belfer Center. “His unparalleled experience navigating conflict and building institutions – and his deep moral clarity about the responsibilities of the international community – make him an ideal High Commissioner. The United Nations could not have chosen a more principled, wise, and compassionate leader for this role.”   

Photo Credit Toggle

Belfer Center

A statesman, reformer, and institution-builder, Dr. Salih brings decades of public service and deep diplomatic experience to this role. As the eighth President of the Republic of Iraq (2018–2022), he led the country through a period of political transition and regional upheaval. A veteran Iraqi Kurdish political leader, he has held some of the nation’s highest offices. Dr. Salih is also the founder of the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, a leading educational institution built on principles of civic responsibility, open inquiry, and international partnership. Since 2023, Dr. Salih has been a Senior Fellow with the Belfer Center of Science and International Affairs and its Middle East Initiative. 

"Barham Salih is not just a distinguished leader, committed public servant, and first-class mind, he is also a man of uncommon generosity, empathy, and humanity," states Tarek Masoud, Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Governance at the Harvard Kennedy School and Faculty Chair of Belfer Center's Middle East Initiative. "As only the 2^nd High Commissioner from a non-OECD country, Barham Salih is not just the pride of the Belfer Center, but of the entire Middle East. Though we are bereft at the prospect of losing his many contributions to intellectual life at the Kennedy School, we are consoled by the thought of all his prodigious abilities being placed in service of the Earth’s displaced and dispossessed.”  

As High Commissioner, Dr. Salih will lead the UN’s efforts to provide international protection to more than 36 million refugees worldwide and to advance solutions including voluntary repatriation, local integration, and resettlement — working closely with governments and partners to safeguard those who lack the protection of their home states. His leadership will be central to strengthening global cooperation, upholding humanitarian principles, and responding to displacement crises with integrity, independence, and humanity.  

Learn more about the role and responsibilities of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. 

Next Up

The Role and Responsibilities of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Backgrounder Dec.12, 2025