The Executive Office formulates policies, ensures effective management and accountability, and oversees UNHCR’s activities worldwide. Its main role is to craft a clear and consistent corporate vision, operational priorities and strategies in consultation with senior management. It engages directly with donors and States at a high level to secure political and financial support for UNHCR.
The Executive Office comprises the High Commissioner, the Deputy High Commissioner, the Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection and the Chef de Cabinet, and their staff. The Inspector General’s Office, the Ethics Office, the Policy Development and Evaluation Service, and UNHCR’s Liaison Office in New York report directly to the High Commissioner and work in close consultation with the Chef de Cabinet, as do the High Commissioner’s Spokesperson and the Secretary of the Executive Committee.
The Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) oversees and provides strategic leadership for all functions related to the managerial, financial, and administrative running of the Office. At the request of the High Commissioner, the DHC also leads the Innovation Unit and supervises the Solutions Steering Group. The Controller and Director of the Division of Financial and Administrative Management, as well as the Directors of the Divisions of External Relations, Human Resources Management, and Information Systems and Telecommunications all report directly to the DHC, who also supervises the Heads of the Legal Affairs Service and the Organizational Development and Management Service, as well as the Ombudsman.
The Assistant High Commissioner for Operations (AHC-O) oversees and ensures strategic leadership and direction for all UNHCR operations in the field, the five Regional Bureaux, as well as the Headquarters divisions that provide operational support in programming, emergencies, security, and supply management (DPSM and DESS).
The role of the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection (AHC-P) is to ensure that a protection focus is instilled into all aspects of UNHCR’s work, to oversee the development and implementation of protection policy and legal standards, and to engage in and coordinate high-level advocacy on protection matters. The AHC-P oversees the activities of the Division of International Protection; provides functional guidance, in particular to the Regional Bureaux, the Division of Programme Support and Management and the Division of External Relations, on protection policy and communications relating to protection; and works closely with the AHC-O to provide overall strategic direction for operations.
The Inspector General’s Office (IGO) supports the effective, efficient and accountable management of UNHCR operations, including through preventive and pre-emptive measures that minimize the need for remedial action; and upholds an environment of integrity in UNHCR by contributing to the maintenance of the highest standards of personal and professional conduct by staff. The IGO also participates in the development of relevant UNHCR policies and monitors their implementation and impact through its inspection, investigation and ad hoc inquiry activities.
The Policy Development and Evaluation Service (PDES) pursues an integrated programme focusing primarily on evaluations, but including also research, publications and academic outreach on policy issues, programmes, projects, practices and partnerships of concern to UNHCR. It aims to ensure the highest possible evaluation standards and the effective incorporation of its findings and recommendations into policy-making, planning and programming procedures to maximize the efficiency and impact of the Office’s operational activities. PDES is committed to a high degree of transparency, and ensures that all evaluation reports and policy documents prepared by or for PDES are placed in the public domain.
The Liaison Office in New York (LONY) represents UNHCR at the UN Secretariat Headquarters in New York by promoting the organization’s policies, global strategic priorities and field-based best practices. LONY promotes the needs of people of concern to the High Commissioner through active participation in dedicated fora on the maintenance of international peace and security, humanitarian reform and financing, protection of civilians, human rights mainstreaming, and sustainable development, as well as other relevant New York-led inter-agency initiatives. LONY contributes to the formulation of resolutions by the General Assembly and its subsidiary bodies, as well as the Security Council – as they pertain to people of concern – and regularly provides input to reports of the Secretary-General and other strategic reviews. Through its collaboration with NGO partners, key UN secretariat entities, and agencies, funds and programmes headquartered in New York, LONY provides strategic advice to the High Commissioner on evolving political and policy matters, and keeps UNHCR Headquarters and the Field fully abreast and engaged on developments unfolding in New York.
The Ethics Office ensures that all staff members, including affiliated work forces, understand, observe and perform their functions in line with the highest standards of integrity, and fosters a culture of respect, transparency and accountability throughout the organization as required by the UN Charter, the UNHCR Code of Conduct, and staff rules and regulations. It is responsible for setting and developing ethical standards in collaboration with the UN Ethics Office and the UN Ethics Panel, for promoting and disseminating ethics-related policies and for providing guidance to staff members and senior management on ethical standards and dilemma in order to address and prevent problems before they emerge. It coordinates and provides support in the annual delivery of refresher courses on the Code of Conduct to UNHCR operations worldwide. It is also mandated to oversee the policy on protection from retaliation for individuals who report misconduct or who participate in audits, inspections, investigations, inquiries or in the work of the Ombudsman. The Office also administers the Financial Disclosure Programme, which is designed to promote public confidence by using corporate governance best practices of transparency and disclosure.
The Organizational Development and Management Service (ODMS) maintains a strategic overview of UNHCR’s system of management and organizational design through structural and staffing reviews. The outcomes of such reviews also inform policy on organization-wide subjects, including coordination models and accountability. In addition, ODMS, where required, provides support and follow-up to audit findings and recommendations in relation to overall management structures and staffing.
The Legal Affairs Service (LAS) is UNHCR’s central legal office on non-refugee law matters and is responsible for planning, coordinating and managing the organization’s legal affairs. LAS prepares legal arrangements and provides advice on various legal aspects of UNHCR’s operations and activities, including on issues of international public law; agreements regulating UNHCR’s relations with hosting countries and other entities such as non-governmental organizations; procurement and commercial contracts; and claims and disputes involving the organization’s operational activities. It also advises on legal aspects of public and private-sector fundraising. LAS works to reduce potential financial and other types of loss through legalrisk analysis, and protects the interests of the organization in internal administration of justice proceedings. In addition to advising on organizational policies and procedures, LAS contributes to ensuring that UNHCR’s activities are carried out in accordance with its internal regulatory framework and relevant law.
The Ombudsman’s Office provides a confidential, impartial and independent service for the informal resolution of work-related problems and conflicts. The Ombudsman’s Office offers an informal alternative to formal complaint-handling systems within UNHCR, such as the Inspector General’s Office and the Joint Appeals Board. Recourse to the Ombudsman is voluntary and strictly confidential. As an informal resource, the Ombudsman does not report interaction with individuals in the organization and keeps no formal records. Wherever possible, the Ombudsman helps individuals to develop new ways to solve problems themselves and works primarily through negotiation, influence, personal powers of persuasion and good practice. The Ombudsman provides feedback to management and staff on trends, issues, policies and practices, without breaching confidentiality or anonymity. S/he also identifies emerging problems, recommends preventive measures and provides support for responsible systems change, in all cases suggesting actions or policies that will be fair, just and equitable to all parties.
Reporting directly to the Deputy High Commissioner, the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) unit supports organization-wide risk management at all levels of the organization. The unit is complemented by a network of risk management focal points across the organization to decentralize competence and capacity for risk management in the Field and at Headquarters.