• The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) announced that it is cutting global staffing costs by around 30 per cent, following a comprehensive review of its activities, spending, staffing and structure, prompted by major funding shortfalls.

• Around 3,500 permanent staff posts have been discontinued, hundreds of temporary staff positions have been terminated, and some offices have been downsized or closed worldwide.

• The announcement follows a warning in March from UNHCR that severe funding cuts were putting millions of refugee lives at risk, with immediate and devastating consequences.

• The agency anticipates it will end the year with available funding at roughly the same level as a decade ago — despite the number of refugees forced to flee having nearly doubled in that time to over 122 million.

• Despite the prioritisation of refugee needs, key programmes — including financial assistance to vulnerable families, health, education, and water and sanitation — have been significantly impacted. 

UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)

• The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. 

• The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) emerged in the wake of World War II to help millions of Europeans displaced by the conflict. 

• It was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly with a three-year mandate to complete its work and then disband. 

• On July 28, 1951, the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees — the legal foundation of helping refugees and the basic statute guiding UNHCR’s work — was adopted.

• In 1954, UNHCR won the Nobel Peace Prize for its groundbreaking work in Europe.

• In 1981, it again won the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to repatriate refugees in Asia, Africa and Latin America in the 1970s.

• The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol are the key legal documents that form the basis of UNHCR’s work.

• They define the term ‘refugee’ and outline their rights and the international standards of treatment for their protection.

• UNHCR has helped more than 50 million refugees to successfully restart their lives, and continue to protect and provide support for the 89.3 million people currently displaced.

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