Norwegian Refugee Council

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation that provides assistance to people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution or disaster. Its core activities include delivering emergency shelter, clean water and sanitation, education programmes, livelihood support, legal assistance and camp management services. NRC works with displaced populations both in refugee camps and in host communities, aiming to meet immediate needs while also supporting longer‑term recovery and resilience. The organisation operates in a wide range of contexts, from protracted crises to sudden‑onset emergencies, adapting its interventions to local conditions and the specific vulnerabilities of affected groups.

NRC’s headquarters are located in Oslo, Norway, and the organisation maintains a presence in more than thirty countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. It employs a diverse international workforce that includes technical specialists, protection officers, logistics personnel and support staff, enabling it to scale operations quickly when needed. The scale of its response is reflected in the number of beneficiaries reached each year, which spans hundreds of thousands of individuals receiving shelter, education or livelihood assistance. NRC’s operational footprint is supported by a network of country offices, regional hubs and partnerships with local actors, United Nations agencies and other non‑governmental organisations.

A distinguishing attribute of NRC is its specialised focus on displacement and durable solutions, combining emergency relief with advocacy for the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons. The organisation places strong emphasis on accountability, transparency and adherence to humanitarian principles, which guides its programme design and monitoring processes. NRC also contributes to global policy discussions through its participation in the UN cluster system and its involvement in humanitarian coordination forums. Its technical expertise in areas such as shelter construction, education in emergencies and legal protection has earned it recognition as a leading actor in the humanitarian sector.

Structurally, the Norwegian Refugee Council is a non‑governmental, not‑for‑profit foundation registered in Norway, governed by an independent board of directors. It does not have a parent company or subsidiary structure; instead, it receives funding from a variety of sources including government donors, private foundations, corporate contributions and individual supporters. This funding model allows NRC to maintain operational independence while pursuing its mandate to protect and assist displaced populations worldwide.