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Emergencies

UNHCR is currently responding to new emergencies and ongoing protracted crises in multiple countries, working to keep people safe while they are forcibly displaced from their homes.

Please consider supporting this vital work.
UNHCR staff unload boxes of emergency supplies from a truck in a refugee camp.

Right now, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is providing protection and emergency assistance to people displaced in humanitarian crises around the world.

Our teams are on the ground assisting people in newly breaking emergencies, as well as long-running crises spanning years. Select a situation below to learn more about what UNHCR is doing to help, access the latest verified data and read our response plans.

An internally displaced man in Afghanistan, wrapped in blankets, holds a small child. Behind him is a refugee tent settlement.
Following decades of conflict, millions of people in Afghanistan are experiencing abject poverty and hunger amid economic collapse.
Portrait of Alphonsine, an internally displaced woman in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The emergency in the DRC is one of the most complex humanitarian crises in the world. Conditions for displaced people are worsening on a daily basis.
A young Rohingya girl holds her little brother
About one million Rohingya refugees live in the world's largest refugee camp, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, having fled persecution, violence and human rights violations in Myanmar.
A woman sits on a carpet in an aid distribution center, with a baby on her lap.
Since 2013, brutal conflict in South Sudan has claimed thousands of lives and driven millions of people from their homes.
A woman walking beside a donkey, on which two children are sitting
Hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to flee deadly clashes in Sudan. UNHCR is delivering humanitarian aid in Sudan and neighbouring countries.
Two people unpack UNHCR boxes and blankets in Syria
After over a decade of crisis, life is harder than ever for displaced Syrians. Millions have been forced to flee their homes since 2011.
Anzhela (24) holds her little niece Liliya (4) as they wait to receive warm clothes and blankets.
In response to the massive humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine, UNHCR is working with partners to provide urgently needed assistance.
Owar, who fled Venezuela in search of a better life, sits on steps outside a shelter speaks with a UNHCR staff member.
With over 7 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants worldwide, the vast majority within Latin America and the Caribbean, this has become one of the largest displacement crises in the world.
Wooden boats float on a wide, muddy river. One bears a UNHCR flag.
Insecurity, conflict and climate shocks continue to fuel displacement in the Central African Republic and its neighbouring countries.
Two girls paddle across mangrove canal on a makeshift wooden raft
Colombia continues to face one of the world’s largest internal displacement crises, with nearly 7 million people internally displaced and rising asylum claims abroad.
Salvadoran farmer José fills a metal drum with water on his farm.
A complex combination of gang-related violence food insecurity, increasing poverty, and climate change is driving forced displacement.
A Syrian refugee living in Iraq receives official documents from a UNHCR staff member.
Iraq is navigating a complex recovery phase marked by protracted displacement, fragile returns, and ongoing protection needs rooted in decades of conflict and instability.
A woman in a purple headscarf holding her sleeping child.
The countries of the Sahel region are facing a deepening protection crisis driven by conflict, insecurity, and climate shocks, resulting in both protracted and new displacement.

What does UNHCR do in emergencies?

When a crisis unfolds, UNHCR rushes life-saving supplies, humanitarian experts, and funds to the emergency. We strive to protect people from harm and ensure they can reach safety. We are there throughout the initial crisis and stay long after the headlines have moved on.

An icon of supplies attached to a parachute

Deliver life-saving supplies

Deploy crisis response experts to keep people safe

An icon of a shield

Ensure people can reach safety

  • We deliver life-saving supplies: Within 72 hours, UNHCR can organize the delivery of life-saving supplies from our global stockpiles, ready in warehouses around the world, to where people need them most. We also transfer funds from our emergency reserves directly to our local teams so they can set up shelters, buy food, and register people who need our help.
     
  • We deploy crisis response experts: We immediately mobilize our humanitarian response staff, who are trained in managing crisis situations and specialize in key areas like shelter, health care, water and sanitation, and tackling sexual exploitation. They drop everything to respond and can be on the ground within 72 hours. Many keep their bags constantly packed.
     
  • We ensure people can reach safety: We strive to protect people forced to flee from harm and ensure they can reach safe areas. Our teams may be out around the clock to ensure refugees are not pushed back to where their lives would be in danger. We work to ensure they have a safe place to sleep, protected from the elements and far from those trying to harm them. 

Our response goes beyond meeting basic needs. From the outset of an emergency, we collaborate with partners, governments, and local communities to provide long-term assistance. We strive to help people forcibly displaced from their homes access healthcare, education and employment opportunities.

Learn more about how UNHCR responds to emergencies

Emergency declarations

In some crises, UNHCR may issue a formal emergency declaration, signaling the need for an urgent and exceptional response. This happens when the scale and speed of a crisis exceeds UNHCR and local authorities' capacity to respond effectively. Emergencies are categorized as either level 1, level 2 or level 3, depending on the size and complexity. An emergency declaration activates internal protocols that mobilize further support and resources.

An emergency declaration may remain in place for up to a maximum of nine months. However, many emergencies become protracted, with forcibly displaced people unable to return home for years without risking their lives or freedoms. In these situations, ongoing support is essential to protect their rights and ensure access to basic services. UNHCR may refer to such situations as protracted crises, highlighting the scale and widespread humanitarian needs even after the formal emergency period has ended.

🟥 Emergency level 1

Emergency level 1: Proactive preparedness and initial response

UNHCR declares a level 1 emergency when there is an imminent risk of a displacement crisis or when a crisis is already unfolding. This indicates that UNHCR is urgently stepping up preparedness efforts or launching an initial response at the country level.

🟥 Emergency level 2

Emergency level 2: Stepped-up regional bureau support

UNHCR declares a level 2 emergency in a rapidly evolving humanitarian situation. It indicates that the UNHCR country operation requires additional support and resources from the regional bureau to be able to respond effectively to the needs of forcibly displaced people.

🟥 Emergency level 3

Emergency level 3: Whole-of-UNHCR response

UNHCR declares a level 3 emergency in exceptionally serious situations in which the scale, pace, complexity and consequences of the crisis exceed the capacity of the country operation and regional bureau to respond. It indicates that a whole-of-UNHCR response is necessary to address the widespread and urgent needs of people forced to flee. 

🟨 Protracted or ongoing crisis

UNHCR may designate some situations as protracted crises. This is an informal classification that indicates a long-term crisis with widespread and deepening humanitarian needs. Many of these crises began as emergencies under a formal emergency declaration, which has since expired (emergency declarations are time-bound and typically last no more than a maximum of nine months).

The protracted crisis classification highlights the ongoing scale and complexity of the situation, indicating that UNHCR requires significant and sustained support to protect those affected.

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