United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), commonly known as the United Nations Refugee Agency, is a specialized agency of the United Nations mandated to protect refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, internally displaced persons, and other individuals forcibly displaced by conflict, persecution, violence, or disasters. Established on 14 December 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly, the agency began operations on 1 January 1951 to assist millions of Europeans displaced by World War II. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the UNHCR has since expanded its mandate to provide international protection and humanitarian assistance to displaced populations worldwide while promoting durable solutions to forced displacement.

The UNHCR's principal responsibilities include safeguarding the rights and well-being of refugees, coordinating international protection efforts, providing emergency humanitarian assistance, supporting asylum procedures, preventing and reducing statelessness, and assisting with voluntary repatriation, local integration, or third-country resettlement. The agency works to ensure access to shelter, food, water, healthcare, education, legal protection, documentation, and livelihood opportunities for displaced populations. It also supports governments in implementing international refugee law, particularly the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951) and its 1967 Protocol, while monitoring compliance with international protection standards and responding to large-scale humanitarian emergencies.

In addition to humanitarian operations, the UNHCR conducts research, policy development, data collection, and advocacy on forced displacement, refugee protection, statelessness, climate-related displacement, and international migration. The agency publishes the annual Global Trends report, which provides comprehensive statistics on displacement worldwide, as well as thematic reports on refugee education, livelihoods, health, and legal protection. Through innovation, digital identity initiatives, cash assistance programmes, and partnerships with governments, development agencies, and civil society, the UNHCR supports long-term resilience and sustainable solutions for displaced communities.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees works closely with institutions including the United Nations, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It also collaborates with governments, regional organizations, humanitarian agencies, and non-governmental organizations worldwide. Through international protection, humanitarian assistance, advocacy, and international cooperation, the UNHCR serves as the leading global organization dedicated to protecting and assisting forcibly displaced and stateless persons.