Former Refugee Now Leads UN Refugee Agency
Barham Salih, who fled Iraq as a teenager, now serves as UN High Commissioner for Refugees overseeing protection for 117 million displaced people. He's launching an ambitious plan to cut long-term displacement by half within a decade.
A man who once crossed borders as a refugee himself now leads the world's effort to help 117 million displaced people find safety and dignity.
Barham Salih took office as UN High Commissioner for Refugees on January 1st, and within days he left his Geneva headquarters for refugee camps in Kenya and Chad. The former Iraqi president knows displacement isn't just statistics. He lived it as a teenage Kurdish exile fleeing Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
"Behind every statistic is a life, a person with aspiration, with a right to dignity, with the right to a better future," Salih said in a recent interview. At 66, he's bringing personal experience to one of the world's toughest jobs.
The challenge is enormous. Nearly two thirds of refugees now live in "protracted displacement," stuck in camps for five, ten, even twenty years. Entire childhoods unfold without homes to return to.
Salih calls this "a violation of basic human rights to dignity." His solution? An ambitious goal to reduce long-term displacement by half within a decade.
The Ripple Effect
The plan goes beyond emergency aid. Salih wants refugees to work and contribute to their host communities rather than depend on handouts forever. This means partnering with development banks, private investors, and governments to create real opportunities.
Most refugees live in low and middle-income countries already stretched thin. Colombia, Uganda, Chad, and Bangladesh absorb millions of displaced people while their own citizens face economic hardship. Salih acknowledges their generosity needs support, not just praise.
"I am humbled by the generosity of many of these host nations and communities," he said during field visits. Without sustained investment, he warns, the system risks warehousing people instead of welcoming them.
In Kakuma camp in Kenya, home to 300,000 people, and in Turkish cities hosting Syrians after more than a decade, Salih sees something powerful. "The story of resilience with every refugee I have met is genuine and is real," he said.
His message is clear: being a refugee should be temporary, not a life sentence. With the right support, displaced people can rebuild their lives and strengthen the communities that host them.
One refugee who became a president now works to ensure millions more get their chance at a better future.
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Based on reporting by UN News
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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