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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

UNHCR, the United Nations refugee organization, is mandated by the United Nations to lead and coordinate internal action for the world-wide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. Therefore, the organization’s primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state and to return home voluntarily.

UNHCR actively works to consolidate the reintegration of returning refugees in their country of origin, thereby averting the recurrence of refugee-producing situations. In its efforts to protect refugees and to promote solutions to their problems, UNHCR partners with governments, regional organizations, international and non-governmental organizations. By virtue of its activities on behalf of refugees and displaced people, UNHCR also promotes the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter: maintaining international peace and security; developing friendly relations among nations; and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

UNHCR in Sierra Leone

The district of Kono is synonymous with diamonds and the district has arguably been called the, “breadbasket”, of Sierra Leone. Kono became the center to the war because whoever controlled the district controlled the diamonds of which both the government and rebels needed in order to produce more weapons to continue the war. Kono fell to the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) on October 30, 1992, the war ended in 2001.Before the civil war Kono had a population of 500,000, after the civil war the population reduced to approximately 350,000.

Today, Kono remains a ruined land with poverty and crumbling infrastructure. Most of the people live in makeshift houses covered by tarpaulins supplied by UNHCR as part pf the return package. Water pipes were destroyed by miners in exploration for diamonds; this caused many locals to drink unsafe water from traditional wells. This increased the rate of water-borne diseases like cholera and dysentery, which have claimed the lives of many returnees. However, things did improve after UNHCR, Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) and World Vision International (WVI) provided 37 pump wells to more than 20 villages in the Kono district. The pump wells are much safer because the water is situated in the second or third layer of the ground which protects it from pollution. It also a more reliable source of water as the pumps will never dry out in contrast to the traditional wells, which can be easily contaminated and can dry up during the dry season.

The main objectives of UNHCR in Sierra Leone are to provide continual care and protection through self-reliance for refugees still in camps, identify future local integration prospects for potential remaining populations, promote and accelerate the suitable voluntary repatriation of Liberian refugees as well as support the development of national protection capacity in the government and civil society.

UNHCR's main objectives in Sierra Leone are to develop solutions for urban refugees while helping them gain access to their rights and avoid dependence on international assistance. Simultaneously, UNHCR helps build the capacity of government authorities to manage the reception of asylum-seekers, and conduct refugee status determination (RSD) in accordance with international standards as well as consolidate refugee camps and transfer infrastructure to the government for use by host communities.