The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)

Office of the United Nations

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly.

With a staff of 6,500 people in 116 countries, the agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and safeguard their rights and well-being.

UNHCR and Microsoft are partnering to apply ICT to improve UNHCR operations and develop programs to help refugees rebuild their lives, store their data and access new opportunities via education and connectivity. UNHCR and Microsoft aim to embrace refugees as part of the global technology movement and support ICT education and learning in challenging environments.

Featured Projects

Read about our projects to improve social and economic conditions in communities around the world.  
  • UNHCR: Community Technology Access (CTA)

    The goal of the initiative is to enhance the self-reliance and employability of refugees through access to education and vocational training through technology.

  • UNHCR: Ninemillion.org

    Ninemillion.org is a campaign aimed at giving more than nine million refugee children worldwide better access to education, sport and technology.

  • UNHCR: proGres Refugee Registration Platform

    proGres is a standardized system for refugee registration that currently operates in more than 300 camps and 72 countries. It has provided assistance to nearly 5 million refugees.