UNHCR is uniquely placed to respond to the challenges posed by global forced displacement and statelessness. Mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to lead and coordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems, the Office strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State. By assisting refugees to return voluntarily to their own country or to resettle permanently in another one, UNHCR also seeks lasting solutions to their plight.
UNHCR’s assistance is available for host communities as well, with the added value of ensuring the host population understands that this assistance comes from the agency responsible for forcibly displaced people, thus
helping foster social cohesion and preventing inter-communal conflict.
In summary, flexible funding supports UNHCR’s key mandated, thematic and operational priorities; it allows for a more prompt preparedness and emergency response whenever and wherever it is needed; it enables UNHCR to stay and deliver when no other form of support is available; it is an investment in relationships, both of a donor’s with the Office, and the Office with its partners and people of concern; and it gives UNHCR time and space to plan effectively and strategically.
