UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (DP IB Global Politics: HL): Revision Note

Purpose, function and structure of the UNHCR

• A refugee is a person forced to leave their country because of war, persecution or natural disaster

• The UNHCR is an UN agency established in 1950 to address the problem of the millions of people left homeless at the end of World War 2

  • It is led by a High Commissioner, appointed by the UN General Assembly, which oversees its global work

  • It has a headquarters in Geneva, supported by regional and country offices worldwide, and works with UN bodies, governments and NGOs

• The Refugee Convention is an international law that has been ratified by 146 member states and aims to help:

  • refugees 

  • people forcibly displaced within states 

  • people denied a nationality and therefore stateless

  • Migrants

• One of the UNHCR's most visible responsibilities is setting up and operating refugee camps in times of crisis

  • Neighbouring states often see thousands of people crossing over their borders

  • They appeal for help from the UNCHR to provide:

    • shelter, food and sanitation 

    • education for children

    • financial support to the host country

    • health and psychological support

The UNHCR, human rights laws and treaties

• Human rights laws and treaties are established by global governance institutions and are considered international laws

  • States are encouraged to agree to and ratify human rights laws and treaties but because of sovereignty, they have the right not to do so

The 1951 Refugee Convention

• This law was created in 1951 to protect European refugees displaced by World War II, updated in 1967 to cover all refugees globally

• It continues to have enormous importance in contemporary politics

  • The number of refugees globally has been steadily increasing over recent decades, largely fleeing areas of conflict

Refugees by country of origin, 2024

• The Convention's core principle states that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom

  • It includes basic minimum standards for the treatment of refugees, including housing, work and education

  • It also defines a refugee’s obligations to host countries and specifies certain categories of people, such as war criminals, who do not qualify for refugee status

• States that ratify this law are obliged to support refugees in any way they can

Strengths and limitations of the UNHCR