United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees facts for kids
Quick facts for kids  Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
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| Org type | United Nations Programme |
| Status | Nonprofit |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a special agency of the United Nations. Its main job is to help and protect refugees, people who have been forced to leave their homes, and people who don't have a country (called stateless people).
UNHCR also helps these people find new, safe places to live. This could mean helping them go back home if it's safe, settle into a new country, or move to a third country. The main office is in Geneva, Switzerland. As of December 2023, UNHCR had over 20,000 staff members working in 136 countries around the world.
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What is UNHCR and Why Was It Created?
The idea of a High Commissioner for Refugees started way back in 1921. It was created by the League of Nations, which was an organization before the United Nations. A Norwegian scientist named Fridtjof Nansen was the first person in this role.
After World War II, many people were forced to leave their homes. To help them, the International Refugee Organization (IRO) was formed in 1946. In 1950, the United Nations created UNHCR to take over from the IRO.
The 1951 Refugee Convention set the rules for how UNHCR would work. At first, UNHCR mainly helped Europeans who had been displaced by the war. But soon, other conflicts around the world, like the Hungarian Uprising and countries in Africa and Asia becoming independent, caused more people to flee. This made UNHCR's work much bigger.
By 2015, UNHCR had helped more than 50 million refugees worldwide. As of June 2020, UNHCR was helping over 20 million refugees.
UNHCR's budget has grown a lot over the years. Most of its money comes from countries that choose to donate. The biggest donors are the United States, the European Union, and Germany.
The agency's work includes:
- Providing protection and safe places to stay.
- Offering healthcare and emergency relief.
- Helping people move to new countries or go back home.
- Working with governments to create policies that help refugees.
UNHCR has won two Nobel Peace Prizes, in 1954 and 1981. They also won a Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in 1991.
How UNHCR Helps People
UNHCR was officially started on December 14, 1950. Its main goal is to lead and organize international efforts to protect refugees. It also works to solve problems for refugees around the world.
A key purpose of UNHCR is to make sure refugees' rights are protected and that they are safe. It tries to ensure that everyone can ask for asylum and find a safe place in another country. People should then have the choice to go back home, settle in their new country, or move to a third country.
Over time, UNHCR's work has grown. It now also helps "persons of concern." These include internally displaced persons (IDPs). IDPs are people who have had to leave their homes but are still inside their own country. If they left their country, they would be considered refugees.
UNHCR has important missions in places like Lebanon, South Sudan, Chad/Darfur, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kenya. They help IDPs and refugees in camps and in cities.
UNHCR keeps a large database of refugee information called ProGres. It was started during the Kosovo War in the 1990s. This database now holds information on over 11 million refugees. It even uses fingerprints and iris scans to help give out aid fairly. For example, in Kenyan refugee camps, using this system helped stop waste and fraud.
To do its work, UNHCR holds meetings with experts to talk about refugee issues.
Helping Palestinian Refugees
Palestinian refugees in places like Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank are helped by a different UN agency. This agency is called the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Unlike UNHCR, UNRWA does not help Palestinian refugees move to new countries permanently.
Raising Awareness for Refugees
UNHCR has started new programs to help people understand the challenges refugees face. These programs are part of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
UNHCR works in different parts of the world to make people more aware of the refugee crisis. For example, in 2009, UNHCR noticed that many refugees in the Caribbean were not getting help. This was because they were trying to reach the United States without going through the proper UN process. Many Caribbean countries did not have laws to protect these asylum seekers. UNHCR held talks to help these countries create better protections.
In 2007, UNHCR in Canada started a media campaign. It showed the difficult lives of refugees to help people feel more connected to their struggles. The goal was to get more people interested in helping refugees.
In Ireland, UNHCR uses media and public events to share information. One event is the annual UNHCR/SARI Fair Play Football Cup.
UNHCR was very important in helping Syrian refugees in Lebanon. When the Lebanese government struggled to handle the large number of refugees, UNHCR stepped in. They provided food and healthcare. They also helped register the refugees so they would not be seen as illegal. Many Syrian refugees also found help in Jordan.
Working with Other UN Groups
UNHCR works closely with many other United Nations programs and agencies. This helps them protect refugees' rights more effectively.
In 2016, the UN General Assembly held a special meeting about refugees and migrants. Leaders from different UN groups attended. They talked about why people are forced to move and how countries can work together to help them. This meeting led to a plan called the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. It focuses on human rights, fairness, rescue, justice, and other important principles for migrants and refugees.
UNHCR also works with groups like the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). For example, they launched a plan in South Sudan to help refugees and local communities find ways to earn a living. This helps people become less dependent on aid.
Being Open About Aid
UNHCR shares information about how it uses its money. It publishes data to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI). This shows how transparent the organization is. In 2024, UNHCR received a "good" score for its aid transparency.
Awards and Recognition
Since 1954, UNHCR has given out the Nansen Refugee Award every year. This award honors a person or group that has done amazing work for refugees, displaced people, or stateless people.
As mentioned, UNHCR itself has won the Nobel Peace Prize twice, in 1954 and 1981. They also received the Indira Gandhi Prize in 2015 and the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in 1991.
People UNHCR Helps
The people UNHCR helps are called "persons of concern." This group includes:
- Refugees and asylum seekers (people asking for protection).
- People living in refugee-like conditions.
- Internally displaced people (IDPs) who are still in their own country.
- Stateless persons (people who are not considered citizens of any country).
- Other people UNHCR is concerned about.
In June 2015, UNHCR reported that nearly 58 million people needed their help. This was a huge increase from 2007. The main reason for this increase was the Syrian Civil War. Other conflicts in countries like Afghanistan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, and Ukraine also added to the numbers.
In 2023, UNHCR's report stated that 43.4 million refugees were under its care. Most of these refugees (73%) came from just five countries: Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
Who Leads UNHCR?
As of 2023, UNHCR has over 18,879 staff members working in 138 countries.
The head of UNHCR is called the High Commissioner. The United Nations General Assembly chooses the High Commissioner every five years. The High Commissioner reports to the UN General Assembly each year.
The current High Commissioner is Filippo Grandi. He has been in this role since January 1, 2016. Before UNHCR was created, Fridtjof Nansen was the High Commissioner for Refugees for the League of Nations.
High Commissioners of UNHCR
Here are the people who have served as High Commissioner for Refugees:
| No. | High Commissioner | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Nationality | |
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| 0 | Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930) League of Nations High Commissioner |
1 September 1921 | 1927 | 4–5 years |  Norway |
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| 1 | Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart (1901–1956) |
1 January 1951 | 8 July 1956 | 5 years, 189 days |  Netherlands |
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| 2 | August R. Lindt (1905–2000) |
8 July 1956 | 3 November 1960 | 4 years, 118 days |  Switzerland |
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| 3 | Félix Schnyder (1910–1992) |
3 November 1960 | 31 December 1965 | 5 years, 58 days | Switzerland |
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| 4 | Sadruddin Aga Khan (1933–2003) |
1 January 1966 | 31 December 1977 | 11 years, 364 days |  Iran |
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| 5 | Poul Hartling (1914–2000) |
1 January 1978 | 31 December 1985 | 7 years, 364 days |  Denmark |
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| 6 | Jean-Pierre Hocké (born 1938) |
1 January 1986 | 31 December 1989 | 3 years, 364 days | Switzerland |
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| 7 | Thorvald Stoltenberg (1931–2018) |
1 January 1990 | 3 November 1990 | 306 days | Norway |
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| 8 | Sadako Ogata (1927–2019) |
3 November 1990 | 31 December 2000 | 10 years, 59 days |  Japan |
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| 9 | Ruud Lubbers (1939–2018) (Resigned due to internal investigation) |
1 January 2001 | 20 February 2005 | 4 years, 50 days | Netherlands |
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| – | Wendy Chamberlin (born 1948) Acting |
24 February 2005 | 2 June 2005 | 98 days |  United States |
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| 10 | António Guterres (born 1949) |
2 June 2005 | 31 December 2015 | 10 years, 212 days |  Portugal |
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| 11 | Filippo Grandi (born 1957) |
1 January 2016 | Incumbent | 9 years, 234 days |  Italy |
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Special Envoy and Goodwill Ambassadors
Angelina Jolie was a Goodwill Ambassador for 10 years. In 2012, she became a Special Envoy to the High Commissioner. In this role, she represents UNHCR at a high level. She works to find long-term solutions for people displaced by big crises.
UNHCR also has many UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors. These are famous people who help raise awareness and support for refugees. They include:
Barbara Hendricks (Honorary Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador)
Cate Blanchett
David Morrissey- Neil Gaiman
Yao Chen
Julien Clerc
George Dalaras- Alessandro Gassman
Khaled Hosseini- Kristin Davis
Adel Emam
Ger Duany
Rokia Traore
Osvaldo Laport
Jesús Vázquez- Alek Wek
Jung Woo-sung
Praya Lundberg
John Abraham
Yusra Mardini
Sheikha Rima al-Sabah
Iskui Abalyan
Atom Araullo
Alphonso Davies
Tahsan Rahman Khan
Images for kids
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Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
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Refugee camp in Darfur (Chad)
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A helicopter arrives at a refugee facility in Macedonia with an underslung load of aid.
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Trucks loaded with supplies drive across the border from Turkey into Iraq to take part in Operation Provide Comfort, a multinational effort to aid Kurdish refugees.
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An UNHCR-officer talks with a Marine during Exercise Eager Lion 12.
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Workers from the UNHCR, and CARE International gather bundles of shelters and mosquito nets in Kenya.
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Heavily protected UNHCR offices in Somaliland
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A UNHCR refugee camp at Baharka, Iraq
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UNHCR Camp, Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) June 2014
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UNHCR Camp, Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) June 2014
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Inside the refugee camps of Northern Iraq
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See also
In Spanish: Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados para niños
