Barham Salih Calls for Global Asylum System Reform

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih called for the reform of the global asylum system to address systemic failures without dismantling the 75-year-old Refugee Convention. Salih argued that chronic under-resourcing and a backlog of nearly 9 million pending claims by the end of 2025 are implementation failures rather than flaws in the Convention's design.

Salih advocated for the implementation of rapid screening processes to distinguish genuine refugees from other migrants. He suggested that nations adopt responsibility-sharing arrangements, drawing a parallel to elements found in the European Union’s Migration and Asylum Pact, to facilitate orderly returns.

The High Commissioner established a goal to halve the number of refugees in long-term displacement by 2035. This vision emphasizes voluntary return and the promotion of self-reliance by integrating refugees into national systems, with a particular focus on support within low- and middle-income host countries.