Barham Salih
Barham Salih | |
|---|---|
بەرھەم ساڵح برهم صالح | |
Salih in 2019 | |
| United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2026 | |
| Secretary-General | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | Filippo Grandi |
| 8th President of Iraq | |
| In office 2 October 2018 – 17 October 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Haider Al-Abadi Adil Abdul-Mahdi Mustafa Al-Kadhimi |
| Vice President | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Fuad Masum |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Latif Rashid |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq | |
| In office 20 May 2006 – 20 August 2009 Serving with Salam al-Zaubai and Rafi al-Issawi | |
| Prime Minister | Nouri al-Maliki |
| Preceded by | Rowsch Shaways |
| Succeeded by | Rowsch Shaways |
| In office 28 June 2004 – 3 May 2005 | |
| Prime Minister | Ayad Allawi |
| Preceded by | Coalition Provisional Authority |
| Succeeded by | Rowsch Shaways |
| Minister of Planning | |
| In office 3 May 2005 – 20 May 2006 | |
| Prime Minister | Ibrahim al-Jaafari |
| Preceded by | Mahdi al-Hafez |
| Succeeded by | Ali Baban |
| Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region | |
| In office 28 October 2009 – 5 April 2012 | |
| President | Masoud Barzani |
| Preceded by | Nechirvan Barzani |
| Succeeded by | Nechirvan Barzani |
| Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region (PUK-controlled part) | |
| In office 21 January 2001 – 15 July 2004 | |
| President | Jalal Talabani |
| Preceded by | Kosrat Rasul Ali |
| Succeeded by | Omar Fattah Hussein (acting) |
| Chair of Board of Trustees at The American University of Iraq, Sulaimani | |
| In office 2007–2017 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Jill Derby |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Barham Ahmed Salih 8 September 1960 |
| Citizenship | |
| Party | Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (1976–2017, 2018–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Coalition for Democracy and Justice (2017–2018) |
| Spouse | Sarbagh Salih |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Cardiff University University of Liverpool |
Barham Salih (Kurdish: بەرھەم ساڵح, romanized: Berhem Salih; Arabic: برهم صالح, romanized: Barham Ṣāliḥ; born 8 September 1960) is an Iraqi-Kurdish politician who has been serving as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees since 1 January 2026. He previously served as president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022. Mr Salih also served as 2nd Deputy Secretary general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
He is the former prime minister of the Kurdistan Region and a former deputy prime minister of the Iraqi federal government. He was elected and assumed office as president of Iraq on 2 October 2018. Salih is the third non-Arab president of Iraq, succeeding Fuad Masum, who is also Kurdish. In October 2022 he lost his re-election to Abdul Latif Rashid.