Contact:
Valentine Ndibalema, Technical Support Section, Division of Operational Services,
Tel: (+41 22) 739 82 80,
Email: ndibalev@unhcr.org
Description
UNHCR's primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state and to return home voluntarily.
Activities
UNHCR works to minimize the environmental impacts of its operations for refugees and internally displaced people. It also coordinates environmental support activities, including education at schools, reforestation programmes in support of anti-erosion measures and the introduction of fuel-efficient cooking stoves. During the different
phases of a refugee/IDP crisis (emergency, care and maintenance, and durable solutions),
UNHCR follows four principles:
an integrated approach, which integrates environment concerns into planning;
prevention before cure, which focuses on taking action as soon as possible to avert
greater problems later on;
cost-effectiveness, to maximize the efficiency of its assistance programmes;
local participation, which focuses on involving local people with the development and
management of environmental activities.
Type of organisation:
Intergovernmental organizations
Established:
1950
Number of staff:
over 5000 in 121 countries
Head/Director:
High Commissioner: António Guterres
Cooperation
with UNEP, the World Food Programme, CARE, the German Development Cooperation Agency, UNESCO, IRD, UNICEF, IFRC, World Conservation Union (IUCN), and more than 500 national and international non-governmental organizations.
