Settlement and shelter

Respond to emergencies

Settlement and shelter

UNHCR helps people forced to flee find a safe place to stay.

We ensure they have access to safe, sustainable shelter within existing communities and work to strengthen the capacity of host areas. In emergencies, we also provide temporary shelter solutions to meet urgent needs.

Two people apply mud stucco to the walls of a house under construction in Burkina Faso.

Internally displaced people and local masons build durable houses in Burkina Faso as part of a settlement and shelter programme supported by UNHCR.

One of the most immediate needs a person forced to flee has is safe and appropriate shelter. It is vital for their immediate survival and security. It also supports self-sufficiency and helps restore a sense of dignity and well-being.

When people are forced to flee violence or persecution, either within their country of origin or across borders, local communities often welcome them generously. However, this can put a strain on resources, causing overcrowding and service issues, which may lead to social tensions.

UNHCR aims to help forcibly displaced people find shelter in existing communities, such as in cities, towns or villages. We work with local authorities to provide services and infrastructure to meet the increased demand in host areas. We also help build and repair shelters to expand the availability of housing, and may also provide cash assistance so forcibly displaced people can rent or build shelters of their choosing.

Whenever possible, UNHCR advocates to avoid the establishment of formal camps to accommodate forcibly displaced people. Enabling displaced people to settle in existing communities helps them access basic rights, including education and health care, and find job opportunities, while allowing them to make meaningful choices and live with dignity, independence and normalcy. However, when no other alternatives exist, UNHCR will also step in to help plan displacement camps. During humanitarian crises, when large numbers of people are forced to flee at once, we also rapidly provide temporary shelter solutions.

Human Settlements

An aerial view of a school in a dusty refugee camp.

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‘Human Settlements’ is a holistic approach to creating sustainable, integrated communities for refugees and other people forced to flee, along with their hosts, enabling them to enjoy improved quality of life, economic development and self-reliance.

Human Settlements promotes resilient communities through climate adaptation, social equity, and participatory approaches while emphasizing strengthened infrastructure and services, that will benefit both host and displaced communities, in both urban and rural areas. Key elements include urban planning, enabling policies, access to jobs and livelihoods and climate action. In line with this, UNHCR works to help strengthen the capacity of cities or villages, that host displaced people. We help provide and strengthen services and infrastructure such as shelter, water, sanitation, renewable energy, solid waste management, communal spaces, land for livelihood opportunities, and connection to markets, educational and health facilities.

Human Settlements also supports the transition from temporary or formal camps to more sustainable, integrated forms of settlement, such as municipalities or planned urban areas.

Learn more about Human Settlements: View the Global Compact on Refugees Multi-stakeholder Pledge for Climate Resilient, Sustainable Human Settlements.

Settlement planning

An aerial view of permanent houses constructed through a UNHCR shelter programme in Turkana West, Kenya.

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When planning new settlements or expanding existing ones, UNHCR uses urban planning principles adjusted to meet the needs of displaced people and local communities.

A well-designed settlement balances the immediate and long-term needs of the displaced population and their host communities. These needs include access to water and sanitation, electricity, education, health facilities and livelihood opportunities, while also considering resource availability, socio-economic dynamics and climate-related risks. We aim to ensure the planning process is inclusive of the views of all concerned stakeholders, namely the displaced and host communities, local authorities, service providers and other relevant partners.

Camps as a last resort

UNHCR advocates to only use camps as a last resort, as they may limit the enjoyment of basic rights for forcibly displaced people. However, in some situations, there is simply no alternative but to establish camps to rapidly respond to needs of the displaced population.

UNHCR's Master Plan Approach ensures that settlement planning prioritizes protection and sustainability during displacement crises. As part of the Master Plan Approach, a multi-sectoral site assessment form helps choose new sites or expand current ones. A well-designed settlement protects the displaced people, ensures access to services, enables livelihood opportunities, safeguards the environment, and prevents hazards like fires and diseases.

Shelter

Marka, a Sudanese refugee, turned her emergency shelter into a semi-durable home.

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At UNHCR, providing adequate shelter in a humanitarian emergency is a core part of our mandate. It is vital for the safety and well-being of forcibly displaced people. It protects them from harsh weather, provides privacy, an increased sense of dignity and a semblance of normalcy during crises.

There are a number of ways to house forcibly displaced people, including:

Emergency shelter: Temporary shelters that provide immediate protection for people forced to flee. They are often made from local materials such as wood or straw, or with tents and plastic sheeting.
Collective shelter: Shelters or buildings, such as schools or halls, used to temporarily house large groups of people while longer-term solutions are arranged.
Durable shelter: Longer-term housing solutions, like houses and/or apartments, that are connected to essential services. We prioritize using local materials and building techniques to ensure housing is culturally relevant and sustainable. We also advocate for housing, land and property rights for displaced populations.
Shelter repair and maintenance: Technical support, supplies and cash-based interventions to help people to repair, expand and maintain shelters.
Rental programming: Financial support so vulnerable refugees and other forcibly displaced people can rent homes of their choosing in existing housing markets.

We aim to provide sustainable and durable shelter solutions from the outset of an unfolding emergency. However, when large numbers of people flee at once, this is not always possible. In such cases, we may need to initially offer temporary shelter solutions to keep people safe. UNHCR works to transition emergency response efforts into more durable and sustainable housing solutions as soon as possible.

Minimizing our environmental impact

UNHCR is working to reduce the environmental impact of our humanitarian responses, including by using light materials that require less fuel during transport, and recycled plastics in the shelter items we procure and deliver. This is in line with UNHCR Strategic Framework for Climate Action, and the UNHCR Climate Action Strategic Plan 2024 – 2030.

Shelter in urban areas

In urban areas, many refugees share accommodation or live in non-functional public buildings, collective centres, slums and informal types of settlements. Conditions are often substandard and providing shelter poses major challenges. In rural settings, delivering protection and humanitarian assistance through refugee camps is common.

More than 6.6 million refugees and people in refuge-like situations live in camps, among them 4.6 million in planned/managed camps and about 2 millions in self-settled camps. While camps can be practical, particularly during emergencies, encampment results in a range of problems, including aid dependency and isolation.

Setting up camps

UNHCR and the wider humanitarian community are not in favour of creating camps because we think other arrangements offer a more normal life for people forced to flee. When there is no alternative, we design camps, sites or settlements carefully to keep people safe and give them shelter. We also try to offer services to the host community.

As part of the Master Plan Approach, a multi-sectoral site assessment form includes key guidelines for the selection of new sites and the extension of existing sites. A properly laid-out camp protects the environment and helps prevent fires and outbreaks of disease. In a well-designed camp, displaced people do not have to walk too far to get food, water or medical care. Water points and latrines are well-lit and close to homes so that girls and women, especially, will not be exposed to danger.

How does UNHCR help?

As well as distributing tents from our three centres in Dubai, Copenhagen and Durban, UNHCR also provides materials such as plastic sheeting and matting that can be used to make a simple shelter. Additionally, in more protracted situations, we fund the rehabilitation of communal shelters or construction of new homes, and provide the displaced with the materials they need to build a home themselves under self-help schemes.

UNHCR co-leads the Global Shelter Cluster with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). While the IFRC leads in natural disaster situations, we lead the team in conflict-generated displacement.