United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Purpose

Protect and assist refugees, returnees, internally displaced and stateless people worldwide, and seek durable solutions to displacement.

Members:

Operates in some 130 countries (governed by an Executive Committee rather than universal membership)

Headquarters:

Geneva, Switzerland

History

UNHCR was established in 1950, initially as a temporary agency to address the refugee crisis left by the Second World War, but was repeatedly renewed and made permanent in 2003 given the continuing scale of global displacement.

Structure

• Executive Committee (ExCom)
• Headed by the High Commissioner for Refugees

Key facts

• Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize twice, in 1954 and 1981
• Current High Commissioner: Filippo Grandi (Italy), since 2016

Pakistan's relationship

Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees since 1979 with UNHCR support, among the largest and longest-running refugee situations UNHCR has managed anywhere.