Complaints & Reporting Fraud

Any act including misrepresentation and/or concealment of material facts that knowingly or intentionally misleads, or attempts to mislead, a party to obtain a benefit, whether directly or indirectly, whether for oneself or for a third party.

Examples of fraudulent acts include:

• Providing false information about your or another person’s personal circumstances to benefit from assistance or service
• Use of fraudulent documentation or genuine documents in a false manner
• Charging money for personal gain or paying money to benefit from assistance or service (e.g. registration, resettlement)
• Falsely claiming to represent UNHCR, other organizations or partner agencies

Offering, giving, receiving or soliciting (directly or indirectly) anything of value to influence improperly the actions of another party.

Misconduct is considered any failure by a UNHCR staff member, partner and/or service provider to abide by established staff rules and regulations and the UNHCR Code of Conduct.

Misconduct includes fraud, corruption, sexual exploitation, and abuse. Some examples of misconduct include if UNHCR or partner staff:

• ask for money or favors in exchange for services or assistance, such as CBI or health care support;
• ask for money or favors in exchange for benefits with a UNHCR process such as registration, RSD or resettlement;
• falsify a document for you to receive a benefit;
• commit any kind of sexual abuse, exploitation or harassment against an asylum-seeker or refugee;
• steal equipment or money from a refugee, asylum-seeker, UNHCR or BRC;
• physically hurt or threaten another person;
• share your personal information without consent with an external person or organization.

Sexual exploitation is any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes.

Sexual abuse is actual or threatened sexual activity carried out by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation and abuse. It is considered serious misconduct and all UNHCR staff are strictly prohibited from engaging in such behavior.

For more information on reporting sexual exploitation and abuse, please see the Sexual Exploitation and Abuse page.

Please report any concerns or suspicions of fraud and corruption, preferably:

• By email: [email protected]  

For confidentiality purposes, please prefer the email to report fraud and corruption!

If you are not able to use an email, you can also report your suspicions:

• By phone: 📞 02-340-6500 (Monday-Friday 8:30–16:30)
• In-person: See how to make an appointment for the Protection Counselling

All reports are treated with strict confidentiality.

If the report is of fraud or corruption involving UNHCR or partner staff, please see below on reporting to the Inspector General’s Office.

Complaint procedures are in place to allow refugees and asylum-seekers to report serious misconduct by UNHCR staff, interpreters, security guards or partners including sexual exploitation and abuse. Reports on procedural unfairness (including the quality/availability of interpreters, access to UNHCR premises or staff, procedures for registration, RSD and other protection services) in UNHCR’s protection and assistance provision may also be submitted.

If the report is about misconduct committed by UNHCR and partner staff, interpreters or security guards, reports should be submitted directly to the Inspector General’s Office (IGO) at UNHCR Headquarters through one of the following confidential channels:

• Online Complaint Form
• Email: [email protected]
• Mail: UNHCR, 94 Rue de Montbrillant, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland: Please mark all correspondence as CONFIDENTIAL