International Medical Corps Reaffirms Partnership with United Nations Refugee Organization

Contact: IMC: Stephanie Bowen sbowen@imcworldwide.org 310-826-7800

Los Angeles, CA—International Medical Corps (IMC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have reaffirmed their ongoing partnership and committed to strengthening the operational and strategic relationship between the two organizations by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Nancy Aossey, President & CEO of International Medical Corps, and High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, signed the two-year agreement at a ceremony in Geneva on July 12, 2007. The pact emphasizes closer cooperation in the health, nutrition, and emergency response sectors, as well as seeking durable solutions to humanitarian crises.

“We are honored by this opportunity to further strengthen our long-term relationship with UNHCR,” says Nancy Aossey, President & CEO of International Medical Corps. “We share a common objective of improving the health and well-being of refugees, the internally displaced, and other vulnerable communities. This partnership will help us enhance the quality, efficiency, and accountability of our programs throughout our areas of operation.”

At the signing ceremony High Commissioner Guterres referred to the “development of a strategic and operational partnership” between IMC and UNHCR, recognizing the global and local impact of the agreement. The two organizations will formulate and implement joint policies and strategies to promote their shared goals on a broader platform. On an operational level, IMC and UNHCR will collaborate to assure that they are meeting key objectives in the field.

Since its inception in 1984, IMC’s mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance. IMC currently works in 25 countries, regions, and territories worldwide.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established in 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally, or to resettle in a third country.

IMC has partnered with UNHCR since 1993 and currently serves hundreds of thousands of refugees worldwide.

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