Barham Salih, a former president of Iraq who is widely respected in Washington and the region, has been formally nominated by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to become the next UN high commissioner for refugees, sidelining a number of European aspirants, including Paris’ mayor, Anne Hidalgo; IKEA CEO Jesper Brodin; and Swiss diplomat Christine Schraner Burgener, who was widely seen as the front-runner.  

Salih will succeed Italy’s Filippo Grandi, who took charge of the agency in 2016. Grandi's term ends Dec. 31, and Salih would take over on Jan. 1.

Alessandra Vellum, chief spokesperson for the UN office in Geneva, said that Salih's appointment needed to go through “a proper process” that would culminate in a final decision to be made by the UN General Assembly in New York. However, Guterres would not have informed Salih in writing had his appointment not been assured, sources familiar with the issue told Al-Monitor. 

A letter signed by Guterres confirming Salih’s nomination was first shared by the online Iraqi news site 964 late Thursday.