UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Published purpose

Internal conflict in Burundi in 1972 drove many refugees out of the country, the majority into Tanzania. This conflict produced one of Africa's most prolonged refugee situations, in which 220,000 Burundians continue living in three settlements in western Tanzania. This appeal is to support a comprehensive solution for resolving this protracted refugee situation, including voluntary repatriation of approximately 20% of the population to Burundi, and naturalization, including economic and social integration, for the remaining 80% of the refugees. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a respected and experienced UN organisation in the humanitarian assistance field. The Agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. UNHCR plays a critical and unique advocacy role, engages in necessary operational action, and demonstrates policy leadership for refugees and others forcibly displaced. In recent years, UNHCR has helped an estimated 50 million people worldwide.