Former Iraqi President Barham Ahmed Salih has been elected by the UN General Assembly as the next High Commissioner for Refugees, beginning a five-year term on 1 January 2026.
Salih becomes the first official from the Middle East to hold the post in nearly 75 years. His appointment was welcomed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who also thanked outgoing commissioner Filippo Grandi for his leadership in supporting refugees, displaced persons, and stateless individuals.
The UN highlighted Salih’s extensive experience in politics and diplomacy. He played a key role in Iraq’s reconstruction following 2003, including negotiating the International Compact with Iraq alongside the United Nations and the World Bank.
Grandi praised Salih’s election, noting that his decades of public service, steady leadership, and diplomatic experience equip him to guide UNHCR amid escalating global displacement and complex humanitarian challenges. “Coming from a country recently marked by conflict and displacement, he has first-hand insight into the difficulties facing many refugees today,” Grandi added.
Salih’s tenure begins at a time when UNHCR continues to respond to crises affecting millions worldwide, with a focus on protecting vulnerable populations and coordinating international humanitarian assistance.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has said Georgia is a candidate country “only on paper,” prompting a rapid response fro...
United Nations Development Programme Administrator Alexander De Croo has warned the international community against turning its back on...
Azerbaijan has prepared a new draft law on the agricultural sector aimed at strengthening state support, ensuring food security, promoting sustaina...
Russia's health watchdog said on Tuesday that no cases of plague had been detected among anyone who had come into contact with a Siberian plague institute laboratory worker who died last week, and locals said their lives had barely been disrupted.
An Azerbaijani citizen died and another is missing after a cargo ship was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea, near the coast of Romania on Monday, 5 October, Baku's Foreign Ministry has said.
A large Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region has killed two people, damaged homes and sparked a major fire at a key fuel facility, according to Russian officials and military bloggers.
Russia struck Ukraine overnight in one of the biggest attacks of the conflict, killing at least 19 people, Kyiv's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Around 70 missiles were fired at Ukraine during the attack, as well as drones, the Ministry said.
The German-Azerbaijani Connectivity Conference 2026 commenced on 6 October in Baku under the title “Mobilising Finance for Infrastructure, Transport, Logistics, Green Energy, and Digitalisation along the Middle Corridor.”
Armenian authorities have frozen a wide range of assets belonging to billionaire businessman and opposition politician Gagik Tsarukyan as part of proceedings linked to the confiscation of property allegedly acquired illegally.
Azerbaijan has sent another batch of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, consisting of electrical equipment vital for restoring the country’s energy infrastructure and preparing for the winter season.
Russia struck Ukraine overnight in one of the biggest attacks of the conflict, killing at least 19 people, Kyiv's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Around 70 missiles were fired at Ukraine during the attack, as well as drones, the Ministry said.
An investigation into August Hanning, the former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), has no connection to Azerbaijan, informed sources have told AnewZ.
The United States and Greece have agreed to deepen security cooperation through a new programme aimed at improving counterterrorism information sharing between their law enforcement agencies, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment