Rapid Fire
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
- 24 Dec 2025
- 3 min read
The United Nations General Assembly has appointed former Iraqi President Barham Salih as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) by consensus, his five-year term begins on 1st January 2026 succeeding Filippo Grandi of Italy.
- Salih is the first UNHCR chief from the Middle East since the late 1970s, a significant development in UN leadership representation.
- UNHCR: It was established in 1950 by the UN General Assembly with an initial three-year mandate, its role was strengthened by the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, and it later became a permanent institution due to continuing global displacement.
- Organisational Structure: UNHCR is headquartered in Geneva and operates through an Executive Committee and a Secretariat led by the High Commissioner, who is elected by the UN General Assembly, with regional and field offices worldwide.
- UNHCR is funded entirely through voluntary contributions from governments, private donors, and organisations.
- Mandate: UNHCR is mandated to protect and support refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and stateless persons across the world.
- It works to secure durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration, or resettlement in third countries.
- UNHCR safeguards refugee protection, especially the principle of non-refoulement and provides humanitarian assistance such as shelter, food, health, and education and leads global efforts for statelessness reduction.
- Recognition: UNHCR won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1954 and 1981 for protecting refugees worldwide.
- Nansen Refugee Award: The UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, established in 1954, honours individuals and organisations showing exceptional commitment to refugees and stateless persons.
- It commemorates Fridtjof Nansen, the first High Commissioner for Refugees under the League of Nations. The first awardee was Eleanor Roosevelt in 1954.
| Read more: Refugee, Deportation and Related Issues in India |
