The United Nations Foundation

Tanzania. Burundi refugee family living in UNHCR shelter.

UNHCR’s work to protect people and families forced to flee their homes has always been indispensable, but as we confront unprecedented global crises and record levels of displacement its mission has taken on a renewed urgency. The UN Foundation is proud to support UNHCR as it provides critical protection and support to refugees across the world.

Elizabeth Cousens, President and Chief Executive Officer, UN Foundation

About the partnership

Since: 2007

Locations: more than 25 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

Since 2007, the UN Foundation has been a trusted UNHCR partner, making a significant difference in the lives of refugees and forcibly displaced people with more than US$23 million in contributions from its United to Beat Malaria (formerly Nothing But Nets) and UNA-USA campaigns. The UN Foundation has long supported a range of UNHCR initiatives targeting SDG themes such as education, health, and energy, in addition to providing communications, advocacy, and technical expertise on displacement.

United to Beat Malaria is the world’s largest grassroots campaign dedicated to saving lives by fighting malaria. United to Beat Malaria has partnered with UNHCR since 2007 to protect refugees and internally displaced populations from malaria. The partnership has protected over 5 million vulnerable people of concern in 23 countries through the distribution of long-lasting bed nets, rapid diagnostic tests, and anti-malaria treatments. United to Beat Malaria delivers crucial malaria interventions throughout the African region, and is currently supporting UNHCR’s malaria prevention work in South Sudan.

In a recent partnership with USA for UNHCR, the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) hosted the Adopt-A-Future Campaign (AAFC). Launched in 2016, this campaign provided communities across the United States the opportunity to support refugee children and the efforts of UNHCR to provide quality education.

Impact at a glance

Between 2016 and 2021, the UN Foundation has helped UNHCR support over 2 million refugees across 10 countries through the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets and other malaria commodities, health services, educational tools and capacity building, SGBV prevention and response, and clean energy.