Our Organisation
We stand with refugees
Photo: ©UNHCR/A.Krause
United Kingdom for UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency’s national partner for the United Kingdom.
We help refugees by advocating for their protection and raising funds that help UNHCR deliver humanitarian relief to displaced families across the globe.
Our team is the sum of our supporters across the UK – thousands of individuals, communities, foundations and businesses who believe in standing with refugees and taking action to protect them.
This help comes in many ways, from generous donations and community fundraising, to positive advocacy and special events. Our fundraising activity includes individual giving and collaborative partnerships with corporates, trusts and foundations.
We are apolitical and believe that every person fleeing conflict and persecution has the right to seek protection, regardless of their race, religion, nationality, political affiliation or social group.
Thanks to our UK supporters, UNHCR teams can deliver humanitarian relief to families left with no one else to turn to. From rushing life-saving aid to civilians fleeing the frontlines of conflict, to ongoing care, such as education and healthcare, for families whose lives may remain in limbo for years.
When it is safe to do so, UNHCR helps refugees return home voluntarily so they can rebuild their lives, homes and communities.
UK for UNHCR is a registered charity (England and Wales), a member of the Institute of Fundraising and the Fundraising Regulator. You can learn more about who we help and how our funds make a difference by reading our latest annual report.
Nobody chooses to be a refugee, but we can all choose to contribute to their protection.
Our vision, mission and values
Our vision: A world where every person force to flee can build a better future.
Our mission: We build solidarity and raise funds for refugees. We do this by:
- Creating a platform for the UK community to take action;
- Sharing refugee stories to raise awareness and inspire the UK public;
- Building partnerships that mobilise support for refugees.
Our values:
We are bold. We are ambitious and innovative; we are agile, we share knowledge and we learn from our mistakes.
We are welcoming. We celebrate the diversity of the people we serve, our many supporters and the colleagues we work with.
We collaborate. We value the power of partnerships to deliver positive change for refugees.
We inspire trust by being transparent, respectful and a source of truth.
We are compassionate. We are committed to building a world where every person forced to flee can build a better life.
About UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the leading global agency for the protection of people fleeing conflict and persecution. Known also as the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR was established in 1950, originally to respond to global displacement following World War Two.
More than seven decades later, UNHCR’s work has grown in response to record levels of displacement and it now operates in more than 130 countries across the globe. By the end of 2023, a record 117.3m people were displaced globally – children accounted for 40% of all forcibly displaced people.
As well as delivering humanitarian relief during emergencies and over the long-term, UNHCR leads change through high-level advocacy, calling on Member States and the international community to protect the rights of refugees and better support the countries which host them.
Learn more about UNHCR, its history and its mandate.
About UNHCR Representation to the United Kingdom
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is formally represented in the UK by its Representation Office in London.
The office is responsible for UNHCR’s advocacy, legal protection and policy activity relating to asylum-seeking and refugee resettlement in the UK. This includes relations with the UK Government and the refugee sector.
UNHCR’s Representative to the United Kingdom is Vicky Tennant. She has served UNHCR and supported refugees in a diverse range of countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Myanmar.
Seeking protection in the UK
For information on asylum-seeking or refugee issues within the UK, or if you are seeking urgent protection advice, please contact UNHCR’s London office.