UNHCR | Washington Regional Office
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.
In more than five decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of some 6,600 people in more than 110 countries continues to help about 34 million persons.
UNHCR’s Washington Office opened in 1979. It became a regional office in 1997 and now covers the United States as well as 27 countries and overseas territories in the Caribbean.
UNHCR's global campaign "Do one thing"