United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

The High Commissioner for Refugees is responsible for aiding the more than 20 million refugees in the world. UNHCR has two basic and closely related aims – to protect refugees and to seek ways to help them restart their lives in a normal environment. UNHCR is responsible for ensuring that no person will be involuntarily returned to a country where s/he has reason to fear persecution and for providing protection for refugees while they are outside thir native lands.

While UNHCR works in existing crisis areas, it is also working on an early warning system based on the monitoring of global trouble spots and prevtive deployment of staff. UNHCR coordinates its activities with a variety of UN agencies and outside organizations like the Red Cross and Red Crescent Socities.

UNHCR currently works in the following regions and nations:
Horn of Africa
Central Africa
West Africa
Sri Lanka
Timor
Palestine
Afghanistan
Colombia
European Asylum System
Former Yugoslavia
North Caucasus