UNHCR / KENYA SALIH VISIT

On his first official visit as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih called for stronger global support to develop the solutions refugees need to rebuild their lives. UNHCR

• Video Length: 00:07:42
• Production Date: 12 January 2026
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: BARHAM A. SALIH
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGUEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: DISPLACED PERSONS; REFUGEE PROTECTION; WAR VICTIMS; YOUTH; GIRLS; EDUCATION
• Geographic Subject: KENYA
• MAMS Id: 3523758
• Parent Id: 3523758
• Alternate Title: unifeed260112a

Description

STORY: UNHCR / KENYA SALIH VISIT
TRT: 07:42
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 11 JANUARY 2026, KAKUMA REFUGEE SETTLEMENT, KAKUMA, KENYA

Shotlist

1. Various shots, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham
Salih arrival
2. Various shots, aerial views of Kakuma
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Barham Salih, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
“Visiting Kakuma, you understand the scale of the problem that we have and obviously Kenya has been quite remarkable and truly stands out as a model for protection in this troubled region. The scale of the needs are undeniably still very, very high, but when you meet these young people, one is humbled by the resilience and by the commitment that they have to making it.”
4. Various shots, High Commissioner Saleh speaks with students at school where refugees and host community learn together
5. UPSOUND (English) Barham Salih, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
“For me to come back to school after 40 years, is interesting. You have the future ahead of you, And I wish you success. I know the teachers and the community here and with your families, you Will be a success. I am proud of you. Thank you.”
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Barham Salih, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
“I remember my time as a refugee when I was at a refugee-led school, and i know what it means to be given the opportunity to study and be equipped in order not to lose years of your lives. And these are young girls that are there. I was so inspired and so happy to see this happening.”
7. Wide shot, exterior of health centre
8. Various shots, High Commissioner Salih meets new mothers at health centre
9. Various shots, traditional dancers
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Barham Salih, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
“We have the biggest problem of protracted displacement. It's just not on that we have people stuck in camps for years, sometimes more than a decade, decades, and also to be trapped in a cycle of dependency on humanitarian aid. Our mandate as UNHCR is to provide protection, provide life-saving and humanitarian assistance to people in need, absolutely, but it is also, as the Convention says, durable solutions. That must become a focus with the number of people that are condemned to protracted displacement. It's something that we as an organization really needs to be focused on. Kenya is moving in the right direction. Kenya has delivered an important initiative, as some other countries in this neighbourhood have. This is something that we need to support, engage with.”
11. Various shots, Salih meeting refugee entrepreneurs and receives memorabilia
9. Med shot, refugee artist hands Salih a portrait of himself
10. Various shots, Salih talking with refugee entrepreneurs
11. Various shots, Salih observing sports activities
12.
SOUNDBITE (English) Barham Salih, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
“Refugees have an agency of their own. Their dignity requires and their human rights requires us, as UNHCR, as the international community, really helping them develop self-reliance.”

Storyline

On his first official visit as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih today called for stronger global support to develop the solutions refugees need to rebuild their lives.

On his first official visit as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih called for stronger global support to develop the solutions refugees need to rebuild their lives.

After visiting Kakuma municipality in northern Kenya, Salih acknowledged Kenya’s decades-long generosity in hosting refugees and the farsighted policies that allow refugees to work and access healthcare, education and financial services.

The Shirika Plan, led by the Government of Kenya, is a bold framework to move from humanitarian assistance toward refugee self-reliance and peaceful co-existence with host communities. Under the Plan, refugees can access legal identity papers, work permits, mobile money and banking services, public education and universal health care.

Over 800,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in Kenya. Some 300,000 refugees, mostly from South Sudan, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have found safety in Kakuma, where the consequences of a lack of humanitarian funding are stark. Last year, less than a quarter of UNHCR’s needs-based budget for Kenya was funded. Refugees and host communities face cuts to health care, water and education.

Protection services are being heavily reduced; reception centres are overcrowded and caseworkers supporting children and survivors of gender-based violence are being cut.