UNHCR closely collaborates with Switzerland to provide protection and assistance to forcibly displaced and stateless persons in humanitarian emergencies around the world, while also promoting durable solutions for refugees along the lines of the humanitarian-development nexus. Switzerland’s contributions also help UNHCR advance on the localization agenda, by supporting the response of local partners – including local NGOs, refugee-led organizations, and local authorities – while also helping to strengthen their long-term capacity.
Switzerland’s flexible and multi-year contributions enable UNHCR to better plan its response and direct its support where it is needed the most, especially in underfunded contexts, such as the Sudan situation. Moreover, Switzerland’s flexible funding for sudden crises helps UNHCR to promptly scale up its assistance in emergency situations. For example, in 2023, with Switzerland’s funding, UNHCR could provide crucial support to Afghans affected by the Herat earthquake, scale up its humanitarian assistance to respond to cyclone Mocha in Bangladesh, and provide key protection assistance to conflict-affected people seeking refuge in Armenia.
Moreover, UNHCR greatly benefits from Swiss capacity support and technical expertise in key areas of work, including through secondments and JPO deployments. Additionally, since 2021, UNHCR and Switzerland have teamed up to run the Geneva Technical Hub (GTH), which brings together Swiss academia and expert practitioners to tackle complex technical problems, share learnings, and find solutions that can be applied in diverse UNHCR operational contexts, with a focus on disaster risk reduction, energy, the environment, shelter and housing, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), among other areas.
In December 2023, Switzerland and UNHCR also joined hands to co-host the second Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, the world’s largest international gathering on refugees, designed to support the practical implementation of the objectives set out in the Global Compact on Refugees during 2024-2027.
33% of the contribution was softly earmarked and unearmarked