United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

The UNHCR is responsible for ensuring international protection for refugees and works to provide solutions to the problems they face. It carries out its work in accordance with its statute and is guided by the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. International refugee law constitutes the basic regulatory framework of the UNHCR's activities.

The Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme and the United Nations General Assembly have authorised the UNHCR to intervene on behalf of other groups in addition to refugees. These groups include stateless persons, persons whose nationality is disputed, and in some cases, persons displaced inside their own country.

The UNHCR works closely with governments, with regional and international organisations, and with NGOs. The participation of refugees in the decisions that affect their lives is an essential principle of UNHCR work.

The international engagement in this area has been codified in the Global Compact on Refugees. The implementation of the Compact is discussed every four years in the Global Refugee Forum.

Since the institution was set up, Switzerland has provided three of its high commissioners. Switzerland has been represented on the Executive Committee since its inception in 1958. The Executive Committee supports the High Commissioner in their functions, approves the programmes they submit and audits the finances and administration of the UNHCR. In its collaboration with the UNHCR, Switzerland pursues five priority objectives:

• UNHCR attains more favorable protection environments
• UNHCR boosts its participation and localization efforts with an emphasis on inclusion
• UNHCR’s proactively mitigates the effects of the climate change crisis on displacement
• UNHCR secures solutions to address the consequences of displacement
• UNHCR enhances its governance and resource mobilization

In addition to its basic financial contributions, the SDC also makes targeted contributions, which enable it to finance UNHCR programmes that tie in with Switzerland's humanitarian priorities.

Global Compact on Refugees
Global Refugee Forum

For more information on the collaboration between SDC and UNHCR, please consult the Factsheet: