Barham Salih becomes 1st Kurd to assume UN High Commissioner for Refugees position

The United Nations announced the selection of former Iraqi President Barham Salih as the new High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) chief, a historic move marking the first time in three-quarters of a century that an official from the Middle East has held this position from among more than twenty international figures for the post.
A letter signed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on December 11 stated that Salih was appointed for a five-year term beginning on January 1, 2026. 
The document clarified that this appointment is temporary and requires the approval of the UNHCR Executive Committee.
Salih will succeed the Italian Filippo Grandi, a veteran UN official who has held the position since 2016. The document revealed that this appointment requires the approval of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
This is the first time in 75 years that this position has been given to someone from the Middle East, as Barham Salih, a Kurdish political figure, has been appointed to the role. 
The position of High Commissioner for Refugees is the second highest position within the organization after the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and was previously held by Antonio Guterres before he later assumed the position of Secretary-General.
A precis of his life 
Barham Ahmed Salih was born in 1960 in Sulaimaniyah to a prominent and educated family in Kurdish society. During his secondary school years, he was arrested and imprisoned by the Iraqi Ba'athist regime while taking his exams.
Salih earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Cardiff University in the United Kingdom in 1983, and later a doctorate in statistics and computer applications in engineering from the University of Liverpool in 1987.
He joined the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in 1976, holding several positions within the party, including deputy secretary-general, and served as prime minister of two Kurdistan Regional Governments.
In 2018, he was elected President of Iraq, a position he held for four years.
J.J