By Trisha Thomas,
Associated Press
Jan 27, 2026|Associated Press
Barham Salih, President of Iraq addresses the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, on Sept. 23, 2021. (Credit: Timothy A. Clary/Pool Photo via AP.)
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ROME — The first refugee to lead the U.N. refugee agency said Monday the world faces “a very difficult moment in history” and is appealing to a common humanity amid dramatic change.
Repression of immigrants is growing, and the funding to protect them is plummeting. Without ever mentioning the Trump administration or its policies directly, Barham Salih in an interview with The Associated Press said his office will have to be inventive to confront the crisis, which includes losing well over $1 billion in U.S. support.
“Of course it’s a fight, undeniably so, but I think also I’m hopeful and confident that there is enough humanity out there to really enable us to do that,” said Salih, a former president of Iraq.
He also was adamant on the need to safeguard the 1951 refugee convention as the Trump administration campaigns for other governments to join it in upending a decades-old system and redefining asylum rules.
Salih, who took up his role as high commissioner for refugees on Jan. 1, described it as an international legal responsibility and a moral responsibility.
According to his agency also known as UNHCR, there are 117.3 million forcibly displaced people around the world from 194 countries. Salih’s challenge is supporting some 30 million refugees with significantly less funds.
In 2024 and 2025, funding from the U.S. dropped from $2.1 billion to $800 million, and yet the country remains UNHCR’s largest donor.
