What is UNHCR

What is UNHCR, to begin with? Well, a short form of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR history begins in 1950, when it was founded to protect and support refugees. The NGO works towards helping in their local integration and relocation to a third country. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it is a member of the United Nations Development Group and also has won two Nobel Peace Prizes.

UNHCR offices are spread all over the world and currently employ about 6500 staff in over a 100 countries.

With the continued displacement of the ethnic groups and serious humanitarian concerns in Colombia, millions of people will be registered as internally displaced. The long-time conflict between several guerrilla organizations and the Government, new illegal armed groups have surfaced , thus giving way to a more organized crime. Due to unstable living conditions and high level of risk, it is the indigenous people in Colombia that suffer the most. UNHCR in Colombia is working round the clock to bring some stability in the lives of these people.

The situation and security in some areas has improved but it still remains deteriorated in some. Most of these ethnic groups have been displaced from rural areas, but one can already see the urban displacement on the rise too. UNHCR hopes that the new Government will give priority to these issues, relating to displacement and find solutions to these problems.

A lot of UNHCR funding goes in helping out these ethnic groups in Colombia, as a steady number of Colombians continue to look for international security outside the country. There are more than 120,000 asylum-seekers and refugees in the region. The new Government is working on improving on the strained relations with its neighboring countries. A new verdict was adopted in 2009 to improve the status of these refugees. But the challenges forced by the mixed migration do not seem to abate.

According to the UNHCR human rights, the Government needs to put in more stress and focus on these issues concerning the indigenous people in Colombia. Strategies need to be revised in the key sectors of housing, land and income generation. There are still critical gaps in the implementation of these projects, primarily concerning the vulnerability of people of concern.