UN elects former Iraqi President to lead UN refugee agency

FILE PHOTO: President of Iraq, Barham Salih, speaks during the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.S. September 23, 2021. Timothy A. Clary/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday elected Barham Salih, a former Iraqi president who fled persecution under Saddam Hussein, asthe next U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Salih was elected without a vote by the 193-member assembly after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nominated him to succeed Italy’s Filippo Grandi, who has led the agency since 2016.

Salih will begin a five year term on January 1, 2026.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, Editing by Franklin Paul)