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Build better futures

What we do

Build better futures

UNHCR helps people forced to flee rebuild their lives through access to education and work while also helping find long-term solutions.
A Somali woman holding a baby is greeted by UNHCR staff as she exits a plane after being evacuated from Libya to Italy.

Helping displaced people rebuild their lives and finding long-term solutions 

Once someone becomes a refugee, they are often displaced for a long time, living in limbo. This can last years, if not decades, or even generations. 

UNHCR helps people who have been forced from their homes to rebuild their lives through access to education and work.

At the same time, we work with governments and the international community to find long-term solutions so refugees can find a place to call home, this can include resettlement in a third country, repatriation to their home country (when safe to do so), or support to integrate into the country where they have sought refuge. 

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Education

When children and young people are forced to flee, they can miss out on years of schooling. UNHCR works with governments and partners to help them access quality education and training. With half of the world’s refugees under 18 years, this is critical to prevent millions of children from falling behind their peers.

School also offers a stable and safe environment for children who have been through the traumatic experience of displacement and can help protect them from forced recruitment into armed groups or child labour.

Learn more about Education

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Livelihoods

UNHCR works to help people forced to flee earn a living so they can be self-reliant. Through safe work, refugees can provide for their families’ basic needs, maintain their dignity and contribute to society, which is what they want.

We work with governments to advocate for refugees’ right to work in host countries, and help refugees develop skills and find employment opportunities, such as running a small farm, opening their own business, or as an employee in a local business or company.

Learn more about Livelihoods

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Long-term solutions

Since UNHCR’s creation in the aftermath of the Second World War, seeking long-term solutions, such as repatriation or resettlement, for refugees has been central to our mandate. 

A permanent home means refugees and other forcibly displaced persons can leave uncertainty behind and begin to rebuild their lives in peace, dignity and with renewed hope for the future.

UNHCR works with governments and the international community to find long-term solutions and supports refugees to make the transition. This can include voluntary repatriation back to their home country, when safe to do so, as well as resettlement in a third country, or integration within the current host country.

Learn more about Long-term solutions

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Please consider donating today

Your gift can help protect someone forced to flee their home due to conflict or persecution.