About UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people.Activities by UNHCR
Uncovering Refugee Status Determination Delays: Leveraging Data Science and AI to Streamline RSD Procedures
Global SwitzerlandThe solution involves data mining, exploratory and process mining, big data analysis, and machine learning models such as linear regression, decision trees, and random forests to identify bottlenecks, root causes of delays, and predict processing times.
Activity Type AI Tools/SolutionsUNHCR Global AI Approach: Vision
Global Not Applicable
UNHCR’s AI Approach provides a strategic framework for using artificial intelligence in humanitarian contexts.
Rooted in human rights and humanitarian principles, it aims to improve outcomes for forcibly displaced and stateless people through responsible, inclusive, and transparent AI deployment.
What safeguards are in place to ensure ethical AI use?
UNHCR’s AI Approach is a model for ethical innovation in humanitarian work. It ensures that technology serves people, not the other way around, delivering faster, fairer, and more effective support to those in need.
What safeguards are in place to ensure ethical AI use?
- Ethical and human rights-based. This foundation ensures that AI adoption strengthens protection outcomes while safeguarding the rights and dignity of displaced and stateless populations
- Embrace AI responsibility by design. Maintaining the integrity of AI-assisted processes is essential to upholding the trust placed in UNHCR and ensuring institutional accountability.
- Champion people-centred AI. Human centricity is being embedded into the core of all AI initiatives, through the testing of new products with communities, designing different human centered processes, a commitment to shifting power dynamics, or adapting proven approaches to fit local needs and realities.
- Ensure robust internal governance. UNHCR’s governance of AI is being built on existing institutional processes and established decision-making structures.
- Foster meaningful partnerships. UNHCR’s engagement in AI is driven by strong collaboration across a diverse range of partners, including governments, international institutions and other UN agencies.
How does UNHCR advocate and engage on responsible AI?
- UNHCR is actively engaging in global conversations to promote the ethical use of artificial intelligence in humanitarian contexts.
- The organization advocates for AI systems that are rights-based, inclusive, transparent and accountable.
People Chat - Policy guidance on HR for UN Staff
Global SenegalSlovakiaSpainTanzaniaUnited Arab EmiratesPeople Chat provides support, guidance, and information focused on Staff Regulations and Rules, HR policies and guidance documents to address queries from UNHCR workforce at large. People Chat dataset only includes relevant HR policies, administrative instructions and other guidance document. People Chat is managed by the Division of People Management.
Activity Type AI Tools/SolutionsProject 21: Protection risk watch for Remote Monitoring Initiative using Machine Learning
Africa NigerThe Tillabéri region faces severe insecurity due to escalating violence by armed groups, causing mass displacement of over 300,000 persons including IDPs, asylum seekers, and refugees. Infrastructure destruction and logistical challenges limit humanitarian access. This initiative develops a predictive machine learning model using publicly available data (conflict records, displacement, food insecurity, weather) to assess protection risks remotely in inaccessible areas, overcoming barriers to traditional data collection.
Activity Type AI Tools/SolutionsResearch/Reports/Assessments