Accountability is an important principle for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) because of the Office’s particular mandate to lead and coordinate international action to protect, assist, and find solutions for refugees and other populations of concern. The dependency by populations of concern on humanitarian action and international protection creates a situation of power that requires a corresponding system of checks and balances. This needs to be balanced with the obligation of organizations like UNHCR to account for the use of financial, political, and material means that have been put at their disposal by states. Bearing in mind its various dimensions, accountability is defined by UNHCR as a commitment to deliver results for populations of concern within a framework of respect, transparency, agreed feasibility, trust, delegated authority, and available resources. Correspondingly, UNHCR’s aim is to build a modern system of accountability that is sufficiently robust and comprehensive to respond to the different accountability requirements expected of today’s international multilateral organizations.
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