UNHCR

Mandate

UNHCR’s primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of people who have been forced to flee. Together with partners and communities, UNHCR works to ensure that everybody has the right to seek protection and find safe refuge.

UNHCR is the world’s leading organization charged with protecting refugees and other forcibly displaced people and with helping to resolve problems of statelessness. In the course of our 65-year history, the massive challenges of forced displacement have led us to move beyond our primary role in protecting and assisting refugees and helping to solve refugee problems, into a broader engagement with people forcibly displaced inside their own countries. Our work extends as well to important areas of prevention and stabilization, including efforts to address the situation of the world’s estimated 10 million stateless people.

For over half a century, UNHCR has helped millions of people to restart their lives. They include refugees, returnees, stateless people, the internally displaced and asylum-seekers.

The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol are the key legal documents that form the basis of UNHCR’s work. With 149 State parties to either or both, UNHCR promotes the human rights of refugees.

Involvement with SBP

UNHCR has been engaged in the Standby Partnership Programme since its inception in the 90s.  To respond to emergencies most effectively, UNHCR has concluded a number of Standby Partnerships with governmental agencies, NGOs, and private sector organizations that have specific expertise and capacity to complement UNHCR’s internal surge capacity.

The management of the Standby Partnership portfolio lies within the Emergency Preparedness, Partnerships and Deployments Section of UNHCR’s Emergency Services. It is based in Geneva in UNHCR Headquarters.

UNHCR has been contributing and engaging with the SBP Network in the following ways:

1. Financial contribution to the SBP Network, including by supporting its core staff.

2. Participation and active engagement in at least one of the existing Working Groups.

3. Participation in the Steering Committee. UNHCR was also previously the chair of the SBP Network’s Steering Committee.

4. Participation and engagement at the Annual Consultation and Mid-Annual Consultation.

Available deployable profiles

1. Information Management Experts

2. Shelter Experts

3. Coordination Experts

4. Protection – Child Protection / Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Experts

5. WASH Experts

6. Emergency Coordination Experts

7. Protection Experts

8. Public Health Experts

9. Supply Experts

10. Field Experts

11. Programme Experts

12. Education Experts

13. Energy Experts

UN Partners

1. CANADEM

2. CASCOS BLANCOS / WHITE HELMETS

3. DEMA

4. DRC

5. FCDO

6. DSS WATER

7. EMERGENCY.LU LUXEMBOURG

8. GERMAN FEDERAL AGENCY FOR TECHNICAL RELIEF

9. IMMAP

10. IRISH AID

11. DSB

12. NORCAP

13. REDR AUSTRALIA

14. SAVE THE CHILDREN NORWAY

15. SAVE THE CHILDREN SWEDEN

16. SAVE THE CHILDREN UK

17. MSB

18. SDC

19. VEOLIA, FRANCE