Innovating with and for people forced to flee
We support innovators within UNHCR and displaced communities to co-create, test, and scale solutions that address urgent humanitarian challenges, grounded in equity and lived experience.
What is innovation?
For UNHCR and our partners, innovation is the process of turning a new or adapted idea into a solution that creates tangible value for displaced and stateless people and the communities that host them. For us, innovation is iterative, non-linear, experimental, and collaborative.
At its heart, innovation is about finding new and improved solutions to the challenges faced by those forced to flee â whether by testing things that havenât been tried before, designing different processes, shifting power dynamics, adapting proven approaches to fit local needs and realities, combining ideas from different fields, or transforming the way a problem is understood or solved. These solutions can be new to UNHCR, new to the context or new to the world.
We forge diverse partnerships, champion multifunctional teams, and work in partnership with communities to identify challenges, test and adjust our ideas, and share what works, so it can benefit others.
And importantly, innovation at UNHCR is not only about technology or only available to a select few â anyone, especially those with lived experience of displacement, can lead it.
Our unique approach
We nurture a culture of innovation at UNHCR by helping colleagues, refugees, and partners identify, test, and scale solutions that improve protection and humanitarian response.
Through four pathways â Incubator, Accelerator, Learning, and Capacity Building â we support ideas from early experimentation through to operational scale and long-term impact. From digital tools to climate action and refugee-led initiatives, these pathways help solutions grow and create lasting change for people forced to flee.
From ideas to impact
Where we work
Real change, measurable results
Across regions and themes, innovation is helping UNHCR and its partners protect and empower people forced to flee. From digital inclusion to climate action, our work translates ideas into tangible outcomes that improve lives and shape a humanitarian response for the future.