UN and international organizations
UN and international organizations
At a refugee settlement in Chad, five UN staff members from different agencies put their hands together in a show of unity.
Established in 1950, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international efforts to protect refugees and other forcibly displaced people. We work closely with other UN agencies and international organizations to deliver on this mandate.
At the highest level, UNHCR participates in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the main forum coordinating humanitarian assistance among UN agencies. The IASC brings together leaders of key UN and non-UN humanitarian organizations to develop collective policies, set strategic priorities and clarify roles and responsibilities.
At the global, regional and country levels, we work with other UN agencies and international partners to achieve shared goals. We pool resources, align plans and coordinate programmes where our work overlaps, or our expertise complements one another. Together, we provide effective and timely responses to displacement crises.
The World Health Organization (WHO)
We work with WHO to improve health care access for displaced and stateless people, including integrating them into national health systems and collaborating on outbreak responses.
The World Food Programme (WFP)
UNHCR and WFP work closely to ensure refugees and internally displaced people receive timely, reliable food assistance.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
We collaborate with UNFPA to make sure refugees and forcibly displaced people can access sexual and reproductive health care. We also collaborate on gender-based violence prevention programmes.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM)
We work with IOM to respond to complex migration flows, recognizing that refugees, migrants and other vulnerable people may travel on the same routes for different reasons. We also support durable solutions for internally displaced people and share data on population flows.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
We partner with UNICEF to protect refugee and displaced children. We work together to support their inclusion in national systems, such as education systems, and collaborate to end childhood statelessness. Learn more about the UNICEF-UNHCR Strategic Collaboration Framework.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
We work with UNDP to improve job and livelihood opportunities for displaced people and their host communities. We also work together to promote peacebuilding and build climate resilience, among other key areas.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
As a co-sponsor of UNAIDS, UNHCR works with other UN agencies and partners to end AIDS as a public health threat, contributing expertise on delivering HIV services in humanitarian emergencies.
United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
UNHCR partners with UNV to deploy skilled volunteers as part of its wider workforce. This helps ensure broader engagement of local communities in UNHCR responses.
UNHCR also helps coordinate emergency responses through the UN’s cluster system. This system ensures that different UN agencies take the lead in areas where they have expertise. UNHCR leads the global Protection Cluster, and co-leads the Shelter and Camp Coordination and Camp Management Clusters, working closely with partners.
Learn more about UNHCR's partners
At UNHCR we work with a wide range of partners, including governments, the private sector, sister UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to effectively deliver for people forced to flee.