Former Iraqi president Salih picked as new UNHCR chief |
Former Iraqi president Barham Salih is set to become the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, according to a document seen by AFP on Friday, taking over an agency tackling swingeing budget cuts.
Salih, 65, was president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022. He will replace Filippo Grandi, who is leaving at the end of December after 10 years as the UN refugees chief.
A moderate and veteran Kurdish politician, Salih's long political career has included several senior positions in the Iraqi government and in the country's autonomous Kurdistan region after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled longtime ruler Saddam Hussein.
A letter from UN chief Antonio Guterres, seen by AFP, said he will propose Salih for approval by the UN General Assembly -- typically a routine procedure -- for a five-year term starting on January 1.
He will be stepping into a firefighting role from day one.
The........