United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNH
- Indirizzo: 94, rue de Montbrillant - Postal Code: 1202 - Geneva - Switzerland
- Telefono: +41 227398551
- Fax: +41 227397377
- Sito: http://www.unhcr.org/
- E-Mail: hqpi00@unhcr.org
Mission
The Office of the High Commissioner for refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally, or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people. In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of some 7,685 people in more than 125 countries continues to help some 33.9 million people.
Disaster Reduction Goal
The agency will begin to mainstream disaster risk reduction activities in a number of targeted operations that are known to be disaster-prone. Progress on this strand will depend on donor funding. Meanwhile, UNHCR will continue to build capacity of national actors, including government entities, to prepare for and manage refugee influxes.
Policies and Programmes in DRR
The agency will begin to mainstream disaster risk reduction activities in a number of targeted operations that are known to be disaster-prone. Progress on this strand will depend on donor funding. Meanwhile, UNHCR will continue to build capacity of national actors, including government entities, to prepare for and manage refugee influxes.
Highlights of impact since 2011
Since Disaster Risk Reduction has essentially been situated within the framework of development, it is a challenge for humanitarians to engage in this area. That being said, UNHCR has been trying to insert DRR as an integral part of its operations, recognising that DRR is essential to anticipate and be prepared, among others, for recurring disaster risks (flooding in places like Kakuma, Kenya) and to build resilience amongst the population affected. Other examples of recent initiatives include the work of the UNHCR Regional Centre for Emergency Preparedness (UNHCR eCentre) to support governments and national actors in the Asia-Pacific region with disaster preparedness and response, as well efforts to train and coach national NGOs from different regions in emergency response activities.
Membership in Key Networks
• HLCP Senior Managers Group on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience
• IASC Sub-Working Group on Preparedness
Disaster Risk Reduction Focal Point(s)
Steven Corliss, Director, Division of Operational Support and Management (corliss@unhcr.org)