ECOSOC Counselor Courtney R. Nemroff today said the United States remains a committed partner with UNHCR and the beneficiaries it serves for ECOSOC Counselor.
“As we mark the 60th anniversary of the UNHCR’s creation. The United States has contributed nearly 700 million dollars in 2011 to assist UNHCR’s work in four areas: refugee assistance, refugee returns and integration, the internally displaced, and stateless persons.” -Mr. Nemroff
He noted that humanitarian emergencies are becoming increasingly complex. He added that protection must be the fundamental goal of the international community. He stressed that UNHCR’s leadership has never been more essential.
“No one government or agency can do it alone. Nurturing and valuing long-standing partnerships while developing new ones must be the operational foundation of UNHCR’s work. At the same time, it is critical for the UNHCR to strengthen its organizational capacity, particularly by adopting a human resources policy that delivers strong performance in emergency situations.” -Mr. Nemroff
He stressed that over the past several years, UNHCR has implemented many important reforms. He said UNHCR’s Structural and Management Change process, including its results based management efforts, is moving in the right direction. He added that UNHCR should continue to improve its ability to measure the impact of its activities through improved indicators that are tied to service quality or outcomes.
“We take seriously the agency’s efforts to refine its Global Strategic Priorities (GSPs) and performance indicators, and we encourage UNHCR to report on progress toward its GSPs regularly.” -Mr. Nemroff
He stressed that in response to the recommendations of its most recent Board of Auditor’s report, he also urges UNHCR to establish an organization-wide structured approach to risk management.
