UNHCR
Mandate, Structure, and Role
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a UN agency mandated to protect refugees and stateless persons worldwide and to find durable solutions to their displacement.
- Established: 1950; began operations 1 January 1951
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Mandate covers: Refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people (IDPs, in some contexts), stateless persons, and returnees
- UNHCR operates in 137 countries
- Funding: Mostly voluntary contributions from member states (not assessed contributions from UN regular budget)
- Three durable solutions recognised: Voluntary repatriation, local integration, and third-country resettlement
- World Refugee Day: June 20 (established by UN General Assembly resolution in 2000; formerly UN Refugee Day in Africa)
● Tracked since March 06, 2026 · last seen June 20, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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