Where We Work
Around the World in Many Ways
UNHCR staff operate in some 123 countries around the world, from major capitals to remote, difficult locations where our field staff are directly helping the most vulnerable victims of displacement. We maintain offices in donor countries worldwide and wherever refugees are arriving, working closely with governments to ensure the 1951 Refugee Convention is honoured.
Staff at the Geneva headquarters now number just over 11 percent of our total staff. This represents a move by UNHCR to decentralise our working practice and get closer to the people we assist. While approximately 85 percent of our staff are located in the field, Geneva, along with our Global Service Centre in Budapest, provides much needed support for the rest of UNHCR, including key legal and administrative functions..
The largest portion of UNHCR staff are based in countries in Asia and Africa. These areas are both host to and generators of the greatest number of refugees and internally displaced people in the world. . Many are in isolated locations where staff work in difficult and often dangerous conditions.
Among our biggest operations are Afghanistan, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Iraq (and surrounding countries), and the Sudan. We also have substantial operations in many other countries around the world. If you would like any more information about the countries in which we are located and the work that we do there, you can access this by visiting our Global Map and selecting the specific region you are interested in. Alternatively, you can use the drop down menu below the map on the right hand side of the page to select a country.
