Inside UNHCR’s Emergency Response: How the UN Refugee Agency Saves Lives

Speed is critical in emergency situations. UNHCR can deploy emergency aid and expert staff to crises affecting up to 1 million people within just 72 hours.

When crises erupt—whether from armed conflict, political turmoil, or natural disasters—millions of people are forced to flee their homes with little to no warning. They often leave behind everything: their homes, possessions, communities, and sometimes even family members. For many, survival means crossing borders with nothing but the clothes on their backs. In those critical first hours and days, the UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, is one of the first to respond, delivering lifesaving assistance where it’s needed most.

For nearly 75 years, UNHCR has been at the forefront of humanitarian response. Established in the aftermath of the Second World War to help displaced Europeans, the agency has since evolved into a global lifeline for millions of people fleeing violence and persecution. In 2024 alone, UNHCR responded to 43 emergencies—26 of which were newly emerging crises.

Rapid Response Within 72 Hours

Speed is critical in emergency situations. UNHCR can deploy emergency aid and expert staff to crises affecting up to 1 million people within just 72 hours. This ability to respond swiftly is not accidental—it’s the result of meticulous preparation and global coordination.

UNHCR maintains strategic stockpiles of relief supplies in global hubs located in Cameroon, Denmark, Ghana, Kenya, Panama, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan. These warehouses hold essential items such as tents, blankets, sleeping mats, cooking sets, and hygiene supplies. In regions at high risk of instability or natural disaster, UNHCR pre-positions supplies closer to potential hotspots. For example, ahead of the escalation of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon in 2024, UNHCR had already moved supplies into Beirut, enabling immediate assistance when the crisis unfolded.

Planning Ahead: Monitoring and Risk Assessment

Preparation begins long before disaster strikes. UNHCR field offices constantly monitor global developments, analyzing political unrest, conflict patterns, and extreme weather events. Where risks are high, the agency works closely with national governments and partner organizations to create contingency plans, strengthen infrastructure, and inform at-risk communities.

“Preparedness is what allows us to act fast when every hour counts,” explains UNHCR Emergency Officer Simon Girmaw. “It’s the invisible work behind every emergency that helps us save lives.”

The Emergency Roster Team (ERT): First on the Ground

A key strength of UNHCR’s emergency response is its Emergency Roster Team (ERT)—a group of highly trained professionals who are on call and ready to deploy anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. The ERT includes specialists in camp coordination, logistics, health care, protection, and security.

These frontline workers receive extensive training in trauma response, emergency first aid, cultural sensitivity, and operating in high-risk environments.

Vivien Nieme, an ERT member who led protection efforts in northern Costa Rica and later deployed to Lebanon in 2024, described the psychological toll of deployment: “You prepare to leave your loved ones behind to walk into the unknown. You tell your family it’s safe—but there’s no such thing as ‘fully safe’ in a war zone. The training helps you cope, but it never gets easy.”

From Borders to Shelter: The Phases of Emergency Response

1. Ensuring Access to Safety The first and most urgent task is to ensure that people escaping violence can reach a place of safety. UNHCR works with governments to guarantee access to asylum, ensuring refugees are not turned away or returned to danger. Field staff are dispatched to border crossings to assess needs, document arrivals, and advocate for refugee protections.

2. Providing Immediate Assistance UNHCR quickly establishes transit centers or emergency shelters, where displaced families receive food, water, hygiene products, basic medical care, and temporary shelter. Relief kits often include blankets, tarps, and water containers. In some regions, cash assistance is distributed to help refugees meet urgent needs in a dignified way.

3. Registration and Protection Registration is more than a bureaucratic step—it’s the gateway to safety and support. UNHCR staff document every arrival and use biometric technology such as fingerprint or iris scans to prevent fraud and ensure aid reaches those in need. Vulnerable individuals—including unaccompanied children, pregnant women, and survivors of trauma—are identified and referred for specialized care.

4. Moving to Longer-Term Solutions Once urgent needs are met, UNHCR helps relocate refugees away from border areas to safer locations. Where possible, refugees are integrated into existing towns and cities to access services and rebuild their lives. When urban integration isn’t feasible, purpose-built settlements or camps are designed with access to clean water, health care, schooling, and livelihood opportunities.

“We don’t just drop off aid and leave,” says Nieme. “We stay, rebuild, and work toward restoring dignity.”

Building Strong Partnerships

UNHCR doesn’t work alone. Collaboration is central to every emergency response. The agency leads refugee response coordination, but it works alongside a network of UN agencies, local NGOs, national authorities, and refugee-led organizations. Each partner plays a crucial role.

• The World Food Programme (WFP) provides food.

• UNICEF leads efforts on child protection and education.

• IOM supports logistics and transportation.

• National governments assist with infrastructure and legal frameworks.

“UNHCR acts as a catalyst,” says Girmaw. “We bring all the essential players together to ensure that no aspect of a crisis goes unaddressed.”

The Funding Gap: A Growing Crisis

Despite its reach and capabilities, UNHCR faces a growing challenge: insufficient funding. Most of the agency’s budget comes from voluntary government donations, many of which are earmarked for specific projects. This leaves limited funds for rapid response to new emergencies. Flexible, unrestricted donations are crucial to UNHCR’s ability to act fast.

The humanitarian funding landscape is under severe strain. Brutal cuts in international aid budgets have left millions of refugees at risk of losing access to food, shelter, education, and medical care.

Vivien Nieme puts it starkly: “A lack of resources means fewer lives saved. No warm clothes for children, no shelter for families in freezing temperatures. We’re forced to make impossible choices.”

If funding gaps aren’t filled, the impact could ripple across borders, destabilizing neighboring regions and worsening humanitarian crises.

How You Can Help

UNHCR has the experience, systems, and people in place to respond to emergencies—but your support is essential. Every donation, no matter the size, helps deliver critical aid to families in desperate need.

• A gift of $50 can provide sleeping mats and blankets for a family.

• $100 can help distribute clean water containers and hygiene supplies.

• $500 can support a mobile medical team for displaced communities.

Please donate today and stand with refugees around the world. With your help, UNHCR can continue to protect the most vulnerable and bring hope where it’s needed most.

Lives depend on it.