Development Committee

UNHCR

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

About the Committee

Standing as one of the oldest fundamental agencies of the UN, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was initially created by the General Assembly in 1950, in order to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians who had fled from their homes, in the aftermath of the Second World War. Currently, the UNHCR works alongside other UN bodies like the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to deliver basic necessities to all refugees who have been forcibly displaced across state or country borders, while providing them with safety and shelter. In addition to its duty of distributing humanitarian aid, the UNHCR also aims to create more consistent and proactive international legislation regarding refugee rights, and to prevent possible refugee crises through actively monitoring ongoing conflicts.

In a world burdened by growing polarization, the UNHCR faces many hardships, not only in the front lines of humanitarian crises, but also in the court of global public trust. Accordingly, under Koç JMUN 2026’s theme of “Rebuilding Institutional Credibility in a Time of Volatile Dissension,” the committee should aim to reaffirm the impartiality, transparency, and effectiveness of the UNHCR, in the eyes of the public. This year’s agenda items have been selected from modern crises, where the UNHCR’s operations have been met by increasing waves of politicization and public skepticism. In order to address these prevalent issues, delegates will work together to create policies that strengthen refugee protection mechanisms, while also ensuring that states take on accountability for migrant rights. In line with this, the main objective of the committee should be to craft frameworks that simultaneously alleviate human suffering, and restore confidence in multilateral humanitarian action.