UNHCR provides crucial support to forcibly displaced populations around the world, including access to shelter and basic services. Coordinating these activities requires data about the individuals under UNHCR’s mandate. The number of persons of concern to UNHCR (PoC)...
From her office at UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva, Erica Bower keeps track of the wildfires ravaging Santa Rosa, California. For weeks it has destroyed homes and consumed possessions, forcing thousands to flee and taking the lives of dozens of people. Most scientists...
This essay was originally posted in the recently released report: UNHCR Innovation Service: Year in Review 2016. This report highlights and showcases some of the innovative approaches the organization is taking to address complex refugee challenges and discover new...
‘Hi, can I speak with UNHCR?’ Mobile messaging apps are the fastest-growing digital communications phenomenon to date. Today, more than 2.5 billion people around the world use messaging apps, a figure that is expected to rise to 3.6 billion by 2018 – that’s almost...
UN Global Pulse and UNHCR published today a white paper entitled “Social Media and Forced Displacement: Big Data Analytics & Machine-Learning.” The paper is the result of an experimental project conducted by the two agencies to inform the viability of using...
In February this year, Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith took the stage at the RSA security conference in San Francisco to make the case for a “Digital Geneva Convention” that protects civilians from state-sponsored cyber attacks. Given that main...
