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Government Agency

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Website:

www.unhcr.org
Type:

United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency
Formation:

1950
High Commissioner:

Filippo Grandi
Budget (2023):

Revenue: $10,928,711,853

Expenses: $5,166,554,712 41
Location:

Geneva, Switzerland

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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is an international refugee crisis organization based in Geneva, Switzerland with 554 locations in 136 countries around the world. 1 The UNHCR is the central United Nations refugee-relief agency that claims to be the chief protector and spokesman for the majority of the world’s refugees. The organization connects refugees, displaced persons, and stateless individuals with cash aid, healthcare, education, employment, and protection from persecution, war, violence, and other forms of conflict. 2 UNHCR promotes a left-of-center view on gender issues, LGBT interests, the environment, and immigration. 3 4 5 6

UNHCR is a pro-Palestinian organization whose commissioner has been critical of Israel’s military response to Hamas in the Israel-Hamas conflict that began in October 2023. 7 8 9 Filippo Grandi has been the high commissioner of UNHCR since 2016. He has called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and has a history of blaming Israel for creating refugee crises in the Middle East. 10 7 8

The only refugee crisis that UNHCR does not oversee is the Palestinian refugee situation. The United Nations has a separate commission for Palestinian refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 11 UNRWA has been accused of advocating for anti-Israeli policies and relief work and harboring sympathy for Hamas and Palestinian Islamists. 12 13

UNHCR has been involved in several controversies, including cases of fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse scandals, and maltreatment of LGBT refugees, among others. 14 15 16

History

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was founded by the United Nations in 1950. In 1921, the League of Nations had appointed a high commissioner for refugees, marking the beginning of the modern international system for protecting refugees. In 1948, in the aftermath of World War II, the United Nations drafted and adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which stipulated that “everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” In 1950, the United Nations formally established the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees with a three-year mandate to help the more than one million European refugees displaced by World War II and then disband. In 1951 at the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, UNHCR consolidated the international instruments and codification of legal rights which were limited to persons who became refugees before 1951. 17

Despite the mandate to disband after three years, UNHCR received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1955 and officially cemented its post-war role as a large-scale emergency and refugee crisis organization following the anticommunist Hungarian uprising of 1956. In 1967, UNHCR adopted the 1967 Protocol which recognized the need for refugee aid beyond Europe, especially in Africa and Asia. The 1967 Protocol reformed the 1951 Protocol as it extended protection to all refugees no matter the date they were forced to leave their homes. UNHCR has since expanded its sphere of influence beyond Europe and has managed dozens of global emergencies. 17

In December 2003, The United Nations General Assembly removed the time limitation on the continuation of the Office of the High Commissioner, making UNHCR’s mandate permanent. It has since played a central role in managing the Syrian refugee crisis, the Mediterranean refugee crisis, and the Ukrainian refugee crisis. 17

Crisis and Emergency Management

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is involved in the management of several crises around the world related to refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, internally displaced persons, and returnees. 18 The organization estimates that as of 2023, 117 million people have been displaced due to some form of conflict or violence. To manage these refugees, UNHCR employs over 20,000 people, 90 percent of whom work in the field around the world. 19

UNHCR manages specific refugee emergencies in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, the Sahel, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela. 20 In each affected area, UNHCR works to respond to emergencies by providing refugees with safety and shelter, clean water, sanitation and hygiene, supplies, including blankets, clothing, and tents, and sometimes cash-based monetary aid. 21 UNHCR also claims to protect human rights through its refugee work, most notably through its advocacy efforts to change nationality laws and practices in governments around the world to make it easier for refugees to obtain new citizenships. 22 23

UNHCR devotes itself to making it easier for refugees and migrants to claim asylum in foreign countries. 6 The group also provides resources to fight sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment in refugee communities. 24 NHCR attempts to provide refugees with resources to help in their future, including access to education and employment. 25 The group also maintains a left-of-center perspective on climate change which it says drives the displacement of refugees. 4

LGBT Advocacy

As a part of its mission, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees commits itself to the explicit advocacy for and protection of gay and transgender rights around the world. It started an annual report called the “UNHCR Age, Gender and Diversity Report” which tracks discrimination in refugee communities around the world and offers actionable policy changes for countries to increase inclusion and diversity in the treatment of LGBT refugees. 26 27 In 2021, UNHCR hosted the first “Global Roundtable on Protection and Solutions for LGBT People in Forced Displacement” and published a subsequent list of priorities for handling LGBT refugee communities. 28 29

In May 2023, UNHCR highlighted the story of Maria Victoria, an Afro-Colombian transgender woman whom UNHCR has joined in an effort to prioritize creating what it calls safe spaces in refugee communities to ensure sexual orientation and gender identity are respected and protected during displacement crises. 30

Ugandan Fraud Controversy

In 2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees became the center of controversy when it enabled government fraud and corruption during its assistance for victims of the Ugandan displacement crisis from 2016 to 2018. 14 Uganda has been widely recognized for its open arms refugee policy where UNHCR works in coordination with the Office of the Uganda Prime Minister (OPM) and the World Food Programme (WFP). As a result of an internal audit conducted by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Service, Apollo Kazungu, then-commissioner for refugees in the Office of the Prime Minister, and three of his senior staff were suspended while investigations were made into their alleged collusion with staff from UNHCR and the WFP to inflate and exaggerate refugee figures. 31 14

Ugandan government officials allegedly created fake names in refugee settlements, particularly in western Uganda, to receive millions of dollars in aid that are believed to have been lost to corruption. In total, the United Nations investigation uncovered 300,000 “ghost refugees” in the country which totaled up to $214 million that UNHCR mismanaged. The audit also concluded that UNHCR did little to prevent fraud by its government partner. 32 The government officials are also accused of stealing relief items meant for refugees, appropriating government land meant for refugees, trafficking young girls and married women, and interfering with the election of community leaders. 14

Despite UNHCR’s efforts to obtain data on how the Ugandan government officials spent the relief money, the Ugandan OPM withheld the data. The United Nations’ internal audit concluded that UNHCR was aware of critical weaknesses in the implementation of refugee aid and failed to prevent fraud and corruption. 31

In 2022, over 6,000 more false identities were discovered in Ugandan refugee camps according to a United Nations letter circulated in late January 2023 to donors and diplomats. Fourteen individuals had their contracts terminated by the Office of the Prime Minister and were forwarded for criminal investigation, according to a letter which was co-written by UNHCR and WFP. UNHCR said this recent case shows that anti-fraud controls are working better than in 2018 when the 300,000 ghost refugees were found. 33

Other Major Controversies

Ruud Lubbers Sexual Harassment Allegation

In 2005, then-United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers, resigned over sexual harassment allegations. Lubbers maintained his innocence and claimed that then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan left him no choice but to step down. Lubbers was accused of sexual harassment by five different women, each of whom said they were the victim of “serious acts of misconduct” involving “unwanted physical attention of a sexual nature.” One woman claimed Lubbers grabbed her by the waist, pulled her into his body, and pressed his groin into her at the end of a meeting in December 2003. Lubbers admitted to placing his hand on the small of the accuser’s back in a familiar way, but maintained his innocence against the allegation of sexual harassment. 34

UNHCR Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Refugees

Between July and September of 2017, there were 15 cases of sexual abuse or sexual exploitation filed against UNHCR officers for events stretching back at least three years. Most cases were reported in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti. The United Nations deployed victims’ rights advocates to the impacted areas. 15

NBC Exposé on UNHCR Bribery and Corruption

In April 2019, NBC News published a three-part series on corruption in UNHCR refugee resettlements in Dadaab, Kenya and Nakivale, Uganda. The exposé alleged widespread schemes in UNHCR refugee camps where refugees must pay camp officials for everything from medical referrals to food rations to police protection, and it can cost $5,000 in bribes to resettle a family. The exposé claimed that several refugees that UNHCR officials targeted for extortion fled their countries of origin after becoming victims of sexual assault and exploitation, a weakness the UNHCR officials used to their advantage. The expose alleged the refugee camp leadership was filled with corruption, as three former UNHCR staff members said their employment contracts were unexpectedly terminated after they spoke out about fraud and exploitation or attempted to stop it. 35 Claims of fraud and corruption dated back to a 2001 report from Nairobi, Kenya where UNHCR officials extorted millions of pounds from refugees desperate for a fresh start in western countries including the United Kingdom. 36

The exposé highlighted the story of Gratien Zimy Ntezimisi and three other whistleblowers who produced formal reports of corruption, abuse, and bribery to UNHCR officials who dismissed the claims and retaliated against the whistleblowers. The people who spoke up claim that UNHCR encouraged refugees to speak up, but then failed to properly protect them from ensuing retaliation in the form of physical violence, withholding of food rations, changes in their refugee status, being blocked from receiving UNHCR assistance, death threats, and arrest. UNHCR officials have resisted investigation from outside authorities attempting to understand the extent of corruption in the camps. 37

2019 LGBT Refugee Abuse

In 2019, the Peter Tatchell Foundation (PTF) submitted a letter to UNHCR leader Filippo Grandi accusing the group, Kenyan police, and fellow refugees of “neglect, collusion, and inaction” over the victimization of LGBT asylum seekers in Kenya’s refugee camps. The letter urged immediate action from Grandi and the removal of the UNHCR staff that participated in and allowed the alleged abuse. Although PTF sent the letter to Grandi’s office three separate times, it never received a response. 16

UNHCR Cash to United States-bound Mexican Migrants

In 2022, the Center for Immigration Studies alleged that UNHCR officials were handing out cash debit cards and other funds for lodging and prescription medicines to United States-bound migrants. The report detailed how the United Nations was allegedly escalating the amounts of cash and other direct financial assistance to immigrants all along the migrant trail from Panama to Texas, at an uncharted series of some 100 stations organized to keep migrants flowing north. U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) and 11 other U.S. House Republicans introduced the “No Tax Dollars for the United Nations Immigration Invasion Act” which would prohibit the $3.8 billion in contributions proposed in the Biden White House’s 2022 budget to UN-supported organizations. 38 The bill never made it out of committee. 39

Leadership

Filippo Grandi is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He was first elected by the United Nations General Assembly in January 2016 for a five-year term. The General Assembly has since re-elected him twice, and he will complete his term in December 2025. Grandi was born in Milan in 1957 and has been engaged in refugee and humanitarian work for more than 30 years. From 2010 to 2014, he served as Commissioner-General of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, having previously been its Deputy Commissioner-General since 2005. He also served as Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Afghanistan and has worked with NGOs and UNHCR in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and at our Geneva headquarters. Grandi has a degree in modern history from the State University in Milan, a BA in philosophy from the Gregorian University in Rome, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Coventry. 10

Grandi has been highly critical of Israel and Israel’s defensive responses against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Grandi blamed the 2024 refugee crisis in Lebanon on “Israeli air strikes,” with no mention of the attacks levied against Israel by Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, and other Iranian proxies. 7 Grandi has also called for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 8 He also accused Israel of forgetting its own history of asylum-seeking and refugee crisis regarding its 2017 plan to deport 40,000 African migrants. 40

Finances

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees receives funding from several countries, nongovernmental organizations, and philanthropists, with its 2023 budget reporting $10,928,711,853 in revenue and $5,166,554,712 in expenses. 41

References

  1. Where we work. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/us/about-unhcr/where-we-work
  2. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/
  3. LGBTIQ+ Persons. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/how-we-work/safeguarding-individuals/lgbtiq-persons
  4. Climate change and displacement. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/build-better-futures/climate-change-and-displacement
  5. Ending Statelessness. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/protect-human-rights/ending-statelessness
  6. Asylum and migration. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/protect-human-rights/asylum-and-migration
  7. “Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries ‘terrible crisis’ in Lebanon.” Naharnet. October 5, 2024. Accessed November 4, 2024.  https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/308468-visiting-un-refugee-agency-chief-decries-terrible-crisis-in-lebanon
  8. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. “Urgent: Filippo Grandi Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.” YouTube. September 26, 2024. Accessed November 4, 2024.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=GwptNEojWLs
  9. “UNHCR: Lebanon crisis deepens as Israeli airstrikes intensify.” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. October 15, 2024. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-lebanon-crisis-deepens-israeli-airstrikes-intensify
  10. The High Commissioner. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/us/node/27091
  11. “What to Know about UNRWA and Its Controversial Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” American Jewish Committee. February 12, 2024. Accessed November 4, 2024.  https://www.ajc.org/news/what-to-know-about-unrwa-and-its-controversial-role-in-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict
  12. McCarthy, Andrew. “The Controversy over Syrian Refugees Misses the Question We Should Be Asking.” National Review. November 28, 2015. Accessed November 4, 2024.  https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/11/syria-refugees-debate-muslim-immigration/
  13. Bensor, Pesach. “The UNRWA Refugee Controversy Explained.” Honest Reporting. June 17, 2019. Accessed November 4, 2024.  https://honestreporting.com/unrwa-refugees-explained/
  14. Okiror, Samuel. “ ‘They exaggerated figures’: Ugandan aid officials suspended over alleged fraud.” The Guardian. February 8, 2018. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/feb/08/they-exaggerated-figures-uganda-aid-officials-suspended-over-alleged-fraud
  15. “31 sex abuse cases files against UN staff in three months: official.” Africanews. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.africanews.com/2017/11/04/31-sex-abuse-cases-files-against-un-staff-in-three-months-official/
  16. “UNHCR accused over abuse of LGBT refugees in Kenya.” Peter Tatchell Foundation. February 27, 2019. Accessed November 4, 2024.  https://www.petertatchellfoundation.org/unhcr-accused-over-abuse-of-lgbt-refugees-in-kenya/
  17. History of UNHCR. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/overview/history-unhcr
  18. Who we protect. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/who-we-protect
  19. Figures at a glance. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/who-we-are/figures-glance
  20.  Emergencies. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/emergencies
  21. Respond to emergencies. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/respond-emergencies
  22. Ending statelessness. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/protect-human-rights/ending-statelessness
  23. Advocacy. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/protect-human-rights/advocacy
  24.  Tackling sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/protect-human-rights/tackling-sexual-exploitation-abuse-and-harassment
  25. Build better futures. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/build-better-futures
  26. LGBTIQ+ persons. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/how-we-work/safeguarding-individuals/lgbtiq-persons
  27. Age, Gender and Diversity Accountability Report 2022. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/media/age-gender-and-diversity-accountability-report-2022
  28. “More concerted action needed to better protect LGBTIQ+ people forced from home.” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. June 7, 2021. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/more-concerted-action-needed-better-protect-lgbtiq-people-forced-home
  29. UNHCR priorities on protection and solutions for LGBTIQ+ people in forced displacement. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. June 2021. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/media/unhcr-priorities-protection-and-solutions-lgbtiq-people-forced-displacement
  30. Sanchez, Catalina Betancur, and Ragozzino, Ilaria Rapido. “Colombian trans woman makes advocating for displaced LGBTIQ+ people her life purpose.” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. May 17, 2023. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/africa/news/stories/colombian-trans-woman-makes-advocating-displaced-lgbtiq-people-her-life-purpose
  31. “UN refugee audit implicates UNHCR, OPM.” The Observer. December 4, 2018. https://observer.ug/news/headlines/59380-un-refugee-audit-implicates-unhcr-opm
  32. Titeca, Kristof. “Who paid the price for Uganda’s refugee fraud scandal (and who didn’t)?” The New Humanitarian. December 7, 2022. Accessed November 4, 2024.  https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/investigation/2022/12/07/Uganda-UNHCR-refugee-fraud-corruption
  33. Titeca, Kristof. “EXCLUSIVE: Uganda’s refugee programme hit by fresh fraud concerns.” The New Humanitarian. April 21, 2023. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2023/04/21/uganda-refugee-programme-fraud-concerns
  34. “U.N. refugee chief Lubbersresigns over sex allegations.” NBC News. February 20, 2005. Accessed November 4, 2024.  https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7003581
  35. Hayden, Sally. “Asylum for sale: Male refugees victimized by sexual violence say officials wanted bribes to help.” NBC News. April 8, 2019. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/asylum-sale-male-refugees-victimized-sexual-violence-say-officials-wanted-n988396
  36. Astill, James. “UN staff ran refugee extortion racket.” The Guardian. January 22, 2005. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jan/26/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices.
  37. Hayden, Sally. “Asylum for sale: Whistleblowers say U.N. refugee agency does not always address corruption.” NBC News. April 7, 2019. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/asylum-sale-whistleblowers-say-u-n-refugee-agency-does-not-n988391
  38. Bensman, Todd. “In Mexico’s Deep South, the United Nations Explains Handing Cash to U.S.-Bound Migrants.” Center for Immigration Studies. January 20, 2022. Accessed November 4, 2024.  https://cis.org/Bensman/Mexicos-Deep-South-United-Nations-Explains-Handing-Cash-USBound-Migrants
  39. H.R.6155 – No Tax Dollars for the United Nation’s Immigration Invasion Act. Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6155/all-actions
  40. Lerner, Davide. “ UN Refugee Chief Slams Israel Over Migrants Policy: Don’t Forget Your Own Painful History.” Haaretz. Accessed November 4, 2024. December 3, 2017. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2017-12-03/ty-article/.premium/un-refugee-chief-slams-israel-over-migrants-policy/0000017f-f6bd-d044-adff-f7fda6f20000
  41. Funding UNHCR’s programmes. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 2023. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://reporting.unhcr.org/global-report-2023/funding-unhcrs-programmes
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