United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees

Created in December 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is an agency charged with international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees and stateless people. 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, as specified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The present High Commissioner is António Guterres, former Prime Minister of Portugal.

Irene Khan, the current Secretary General of Amnesty International, came there from the UNHCR staff, having headed several major missions.