UNHCR Representation in Japan

What UNHCR Representation in Japan does

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a subsidiary body of the United Nations established by the UN General Assembly on 14 December 1950 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the sole UN agency mandated to lead and coordinate international action for the protection of refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people, stateless persons, and returnees, and serves as the guardian of the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. As of end-2025 UNHCR figures from its data, 117.8 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence and human-rights violations, including 41.6 million refugees (28.5 million under UNHCR's mandate), 68.7 million internally displaced people, 9 million asylum-seekers, and 4.5 million stateless persons.

UNHCR operates in 122 countries with 10,356 personnel, delivering life-saving emergency shelter, food, water, medical care, and protection services, and runs a Biometric Identity Management System that has moved registration for 17 million individuals to the cloud, serving roughly 100,000 displaced people daily. Its technology surface includes the UNHCR Data Portal, RefWorld legal database, HELP refugee services site, MADE51 artisan marketplace, and recurring publications such as the Global Trends Report, Mid-Year Trends Report, Global Report, and Global Appeal. The agency's go-to-market is event-driven emergency response deployable within 72 hours through a pre-positioned global supplier network, complemented by a community-led model that places refugees at the center of planning and decision-making, channeling 57% of funding through over 1,200 partners including refugee-led organizations.

UNHCR is funded primarily through voluntary contributions from UN Member States via the Global Appeal process, with private sector income (now 39% of unearmarked funds and growing more than 70% since 2018, including USD 250 million pledged at the December 2023 Global Refugee Forum) and individual donations as secondary streams. Services to refugees are free; donor tiers include specific unit offerings such as US$550 for household kits, US$150 for cooking gas, and US$23 for blankets. The agency is governed by the UN General Assembly and Executive Committee, with the High Commissioner appointed for a five-year term; Barham Salih assumed office as the 12th High Commissioner on 1 January 2026. UNHCR Representation in Japan is one of its country-level offices supporting advocacy, fundraising, and partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region.

Name

UNHCR Representation in Japan

Legal name

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Website

https://unhcr.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

10,001+ employees

Short description

UNHCR is the UN agency mandated to protect refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people, and stateless persons, operating in 122 countries with 10,356 personnel and a cloud-based registration system serving roughly 100,000 displaced people daily. It is funded primarily through voluntary government contributions, supplemented by growing private-sector and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid and Refugee Protection Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG), Cash Assistance & Social Safety Net Delivery for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAH)

Keywords

• Refugee protection services
• Humanitarian assistance programs
• Asylum processing support
• Statelessness prevention advocacy
• Forced displacement response

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Voluntary Contributions from Governments: UNHCR is primarily funded through voluntary contributions from UN Member States, with governments providing the majority of funding through the Global Appeal process.
2. Private Sector Partnerships: Since 2018, private sector income has increased by over 70% and now accounts for 39% of UNHCR's unearmarked funds. At the second Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, businesses made pledges including providing USD 250 million in essential funding.
3. Individual Donations: Individual donors can make contributions through UNHCR's donation platforms, with various giving options including one-time and monthly donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UNHCR provides international protection and humanitarian assistance to refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people, and stateless persons in 122 countries, delivering emergency shelter, food, water, medical care, legal protection, and advocacy for durable solutions. The organization is funded through voluntary contributions from UN Member States, private sector partners, and individual donors, and operates a global network of 1,200+ funded partners to deliver life-saving assistance and self-reliance programs.

Product overview

UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) offers a suite of digital services and platforms for refugee protection, assistance, and data transparency. The core offerings include the UNHCR Data Portal for statistics, the HELP Site for refugee services, RefWorld for legal research, and MADE51 for refugee artisan products. UNHCR also publishes flagship reports including the Global Trends Report, Mid-Year Trends Report, Global Report, and Global Appeal. These products work together to provide humanitarian assistance, data transparency, and operational reporting for forcibly displaced populations worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MADE51: A brand featuring hand-made products crafted by refugee artisans. The MADE51 initiative supports refugee artisans by providing market access for their crafts.
• HELP

Products and services

• UNHCR Data Portal A comprehensive data and statistics platform providing global forced displacement statistics, trends, and datasets on refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people, and stateless populations. Used by researchers, policymakers, journalists, and humanitarian partners.
• HELP Site A help portal for refugees, asylum-seekers, and stateless persons to find information and services provided by UNHCR across countries of asylum, transit, and resettlement.
• MADE51 Marketplace An online marketplace showcasing handcrafted products made by refugee artisans, with proceeds supporting refugees and providing market access for refugee craft collectives.
• RefWorld UNHCR's global law and policy database providing legislation, case law, and policy guidance on refugees, stateless persons, and internally displaced persons for legal researchers, governments, and humanitarian practitioners.
• Global Trends Report Annual flagship statistical report analyzing changes and trends in forcibly displaced populations, providing key statistics on refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs, and stateless people for policymakers, media, and the humanitarian community.
• Mid-Year Trends Report Bi-annual report providing updated preliminary figures and analysis on forced displacement statistics for the first half of the year.
• Global Report UNHCR's annual report outlining its impact and results across operations worldwide in the previous year, used by donors, governments, and oversight bodies.
• Global Appeal UNHCR's projected funding needs and operational planning document for the year ahead, used to mobilize voluntary contributions from UN Member States, private sector partners, and individual donors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 117.8 million people currently displaced and under UNHCR protection
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GovernmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNHCR works with governments worldwide to implement refugee protection, asylum processing, and durable solutions. Governments provide the majority of voluntary funding through the Global Appeal process and host the majority of refugees.
• UN and International OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNHCR collaborates with sister UN agencies including UNRWA for Palestinian refugees, and international organizations for coordinated humanitarian responses.
• Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 1,200 funded partners globally implement UNHCR programs. Local and national responders including refugee-led organizations receive 57% of UNHCR funding.
• Private Sector CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate sector partners align business objectives with SDG commitments. At the second Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, businesses pledged USD 250 million in essential funding. Since 2018, private sector income has increased by over 70%.
• Global Compact on Refugees Signatory StatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Global Compact on Refugees (affirmed December 2018) provides a framework for equitable responsibility-sharing among 193 UN Member States, with pledges for burden-sharing and support to host communities.
• Global Refugee Forum ParticipantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeld every four years, the Forum brings together governments, international organizations, refugees, civil society, private sector and experts to make pledges and share good practices for refugee protection.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees): UNRWA delivers education, health, and social services specifically to Palestinian refugees in the Middle East, operating under a parallel UN General Assembly mandate and a similar voluntary funding model. It is the closest institutional sibling to UNHCR given its overlapping mandate and constituency.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM): IOM is the leading UN agency for migration management and the operational partner for many displacement contexts in which UNHCR is present. It shares the same field-office footprint, donor base, and migration/displacement mission, making it the most direct functional peer.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): The ICRC is the leading humanitarian agency working on conflict-related protection and assistance, with a parallel UN-style mandate. It is the most direct operational peer to UNHCR: both run large field networks delivering shelter, food, and protection under a confidential, principled approach financed largely by voluntary contributions.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders: MSF provides medical humanitarian aid in refugee and conflict settings and is frequently co-located in UNHCR's emergency responses. It is a leading NGO peer in terms of operational scale, independence, and donor-supported private funding model.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF: UNICEF is a sister UN agency that delivers services to children, including in refugee and IDP situations. While its mandate is much broader than UNHCR's, it operates in many of the same countries with a similar voluntary funding model and is a frequent partner on refugee child protection and education.
• World Food Programme (WFP): WFP is a much larger UN humanitarian agency providing food assistance to refugees and others in emergencies. It complements UNHCR on food security, shares many of the same field operations and donor base, and often co-funds programmes with UNHCR at scale.
• Save the Children: Save the Children is one of the largest private humanitarian NGOs operating in refugee contexts, working alongside UNHCR on child protection and education. Its broad portfolio and scale make it a strong operational and donor-model peer.

Others

• Refugee Council USA: An advocacy and coalition organization that supports UNHCR's mandate in major donor markets. While not an operational peer, it is a thematically linked organization working on refugee policy and funding outcomes that affect UNHCR.
• UN OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs): OCHA coordinates humanitarian response across the UN system and within the Refugee Coordination Model where UNHCR leads. It is an inter-agency coordinator rather than a direct implementer, but its allocation decisions shape the operating context and funding flows UNHCR receives.

Emerging players

• CARE International: CARE is a major humanitarian NGO active in refugee and IDP situations, working both as a UNHCR-funded partner and alongside. It is comparable in terms of private-donor funding, women-and-girls focus, and field-based delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/refugees
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/unhcr
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNHCR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unhcr
• Instagraminstagram.com/refugees
• TikToktiktok.com/@refugees

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UNHCR Representation in Japan