UNHCR , United Nations Refugee Agency , is a United Nations program with a mandate to protect refugees, force displaced and stateless people, and assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country. UNHCR stands for Office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees and was formed in 1950, in the post-World War II period. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland and it is a member of the United Nations Development Group. UNHCR has won two Nobel Peace Prizes, once in 1954 and again in 1981.
Video United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Histori
After the collapse of the League of Nations and the establishment of the United Nations, the international community was well aware of the refugee crisis after the end of World War II. In 1947, the International Refugee Organization (IRO) was established by the United Nations. IRO is the first international institution to comprehensively address all aspects of the lives of refugees. This preceding is the United Nations Administration Assistance and Rehabilitation, established in 1944 to deal with the millions of displaced people throughout Europe as a result of World War II.
In the late 1940s, IROs were not favored, but the UN agreed that an agency was needed to oversee the problems of global refugees. Despite much debate in the General Assembly, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees was established as an organ of a subsidiary of the General Assembly by Resolution 319 (IV) of the UN General Assembly in December 1949. However, the organization was only intended to operate for 3 years, from January 1951, the disagreement of many UN member states on the implications of the permanent body.
The UNHCR mandate was initially enacted in its law, attached to the United Nations General Assembly (428) resolution 1950. This mandate was later extended by a number of resolutions of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). According to UNHCR,
Its mandate is to provide, on the basis of non-political and humanitarian, international protection for refugees and seek permanent solutions for them.
Immediately after the signing of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, it became clear that refugees were not confined to Europe. In 1956, UNHCR was involved in coordinating responses to the uprising in Hungary. A year later, UNHCR was assigned to handle Chinese refugees in Hong Kong, while also responding to Algerian refugees who fled to Morocco and Tunisia after the Algerian war for independence. The response marked the start of a broader global mandate in refugee protection and humanitarian assistance.
Decolonization in the 1960s triggered a large refugee movement in Africa, creating a major challenge that would change the UNHCR; unlike the refugee crisis in Europe, there is no durable solution in Africa and many refugees fleeing from one country only find instability in their new asylum state. By the end of the decade, two-thirds of UNHCR's budget has focused on operations in Africa and in just a decade, the organization's focus has shifted from an almost exclusive focus in Europe.
In 1967, Protocols Relating to the Status of Refugees have been ratified to remove UNHCR's geographical and time constraints under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Since the Convention is limited to the post-World War II refugee crisis in Europe, the Protocols were made to address "new refugee situations that have arisen since the adopted Convention and the concerned refugees who may not be within the scope of the Convention".
In the 1970s, UNHCR refugee operations continued to spread throughout the world, with the mass exodus of East Pakistan to India shortly before the birth of Bangladesh. Adding to the misery in Asia is the Vietnam war, with millions of people fleeing from the war-torn country.
The 1980s saw a new challenge for UNHCR, with many member states refusing to resettle refugees due to the sharp increase in the number of refugees during the 1970s. Often, these refugees do not escape from inter-state wars, but inter-ethnic conflicts in newly independent countries. Targeting civilians as a military strategy is added to the move in many countries, so even 'small' conflicts can lead to large numbers of displaced people. Whether in Asia, Central America or Africa these conflicts, fueled by superpower competition and exacerbated by socio-economic problems in related countries, long-lasting solutions continue to prove a major challenge for UNHCR. As a result, UNHCR became more involved with aid programs in refugee camps, often located in hostile environments.
The end of the Cold War marked the ongoing inter-ethnic conflict and contributed greatly to the refugee escape. In addition, humanitarian intervention by multinational forces became more frequent and the media began to play a major role, especially in leading up to the 1999 NATO mission in Yugoslavia, whereas instead, the 1994 Rwandan Genocide had little concern. Genocide in Rwanda caused a massive refugee crisis, again highlighting the difficulty for UNHCR to uphold its mandate, and UNHCR continues to wage war against restrictive asylum policies in so-called 'rich' countries.
Maps United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Function
UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 and replaced the earlier United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. The body is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee issues around the world. Its main purpose is to protect the rights and welfare of refugees. It seeks to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe haven in another state, with the option of returning home voluntarily, integrating locally or for resettlement in a third country.
The UNHCR mandate has been gradually expanded to include the protection and provision of humanitarian assistance to whom it describes as "disturbing," including internally displaced persons (IDPs) which will be in accordance with the legal definition of a refugee under the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol, Organization 1969 to the African Unity Convention, or some other agreement if they leave their country, but which currently remain in their home country. UNHCR currently has major missions in Lebanon, Southern Sudan, Chad/Darfur, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kenya to assist and provide services to IDPs and refugees in camps and in urban environments.
UNHCR manages a database of refugee information, ProGres, created during the Kosovo War of the 1990s. The current database contains data on more than 11 million refugees, or about 11% of all people being moved globally. The database contains biometric data, including fingerprints and iris scans and is used to determine the distribution of assistance for the recipient. The result of using biometric verification has been successful. When introduced in Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya in 2013, the UN World Food Program successfully eliminated $ 1.4m in waste and fraud.
To achieve its mandate, UNHCR is engaged in activities both in countries of interest and in donor countries. For example, UNHCR holds expert meetings to discuss issues of concern to the international refugee community.
Palestinian refugee mandate
Most Palestinian refugees - people in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan - are not subject to UNHCR responsibility but are under the older body, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA has a broader definition of "refugees" than UNHCR, including not only the refugees themselves but their descendants in duration; however, this only includes refugees from the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 and 1967. Other Palestinian refugees outside the UNRWA operations area fall under UNHCR's mandate, if they meet the more limited definition of UNHCR refugees.
Public awareness
Several new programs have been introduced to support and raise awareness of the issues facing refugees around the world. These two new programs are products of benchmarks set by the UN Millennium Development Goals.
UNHCR works in various regions of the world to raise awareness about the refugee crisis and the needs of these refugees.
Since 2009, UNHCR recognizes the large presence of migrants and refugees in the Caribbean, where the refugee crisis remains largely unreported. Many refugees seeking asylum in the United States can not achieve their goals and end up in the Caribbean. However, migrant laws in most of these countries have no protection for asylum seekers, nor the ability to be acknowledged as refugees or asylum seekers themselves. UNHCR organized talks with these countries in Costa Rica in 2009, in an effort to promote a lack of protection for refugees, often labeled "illegal" and prosecuted as illegal migrants.
In 2007, the UNHCR office in Canada launched an aggressive media campaign to explain the fate of refugees. The campaign is intended to humanize the refugee crisis by showing refugees living in the midst of disturbing conditions. By using emotional appeal to raise public awareness, the campaign is expected to increase interest, especially "30 to 45 years of generally well-educated, reading professionals, but have no direct experience or knowledge of refugee issues," fundraiser Jonathan Wade said.
In Ireland, UNHCR works to inform the public through different channels. UNHCR in Ireland is actively pursuing media relations and "[they] provide the media with accurate and reliable information combined with our unique insights based on the mandate and role of refugee protection as one of the world's leading humanitarian agencies." It also involves his community by holding public events to inform people about the current refugee crisis. One of them is the annual UNHCR/SARI Fair play Football Cup.
Cooperation in the UN
Because UNHCR is a program regulated by the UN General Assembly, and the UN Economic and Social Council, UNHCR is working with many other programs and institutions under the United Nations to effectively protect the rights of refugees.
On September 19, 2016, the UN General Assembly convened a United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants, a high-level meeting to tackle the large movement of refugees and migrants, with the aim of bringing the collective countries behind a more humane and coordinated approach. Leader of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Agency for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the World Bank attended. The summit addresses the root causes and impetus for migration and the need for global cooperation. As a result of this summit, the United Nations launched a series of principles urging the international community to build on the momentum set by the adoption of the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants. In particular, the 20 draft principles focus on human rights; without discrimination; rescue and assistance; access to justice; border government; back; violence; detention; family unity; child migrant; female migrant; the right to health; an adequate standard of living; decent work; right to education; right to information; monitoring and accountability; migrant human rights defenders; data; and international cooperation.
On September 28, 2016, UNHCR partnered with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Tehran for a Solution Strategy for Afghan Refugees. FAO highlighted the contributions made by FAO to SSAR's goals on related livelihood activities including livestock and fishery initiatives as well as nutritional projects in Iranian schools.
FAO and UNHCR are committed to improving refugee access to livelihood opportunities and reducing reliance on humanitarian aid. Lately, a joint livelihood strategy for Southern Sudan was launched to address this issue with a clear action plan. This strategy targets refugees (70 percent) and local communities (30 percent) in areas of refuge in the country.
Awards
Since 1954, the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award has been granted annually to a person or an organization in recognition of exceptional service for the cause of refugees, displaced or stateless persons.
UNHCR itself was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1954 and 1981. UNHCR has been selected for the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2015.
People of concern to UNHCR
UNHCR Year-End Trends Report of June 2015 (based on information for mid-2015 or updated information available up to that date) reported "unprecedented" 57,959,702 persons falling under its mandate (for reference, as of January 1, 2007, 21,018. 589 people - or less than half the number by 2015 - fall under the UNHCR mandate). This sharp increase is mainly due to the Syrian Civil War, "with the onset of an armed crisis or ongoing decline in countries such as Afghanistan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Somalia, Southern Sudan and Ukraine contributing to the prevailing trend."
People of concern include refugees and asylum seekers, people in refugee conditions, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless people and "others concerned about UNHCR".
Sorted by the UNHCR bureau where asylum sought, the number for June 2015 includes:
- 16,796,426 in the Middle East and North Africa, among them
- 2,941,121 are refugees
- 64166 is in a refugee-like situation
- 109.847 has pending asylum case
- 374.309 has no nationality ("person not considered a citizen by any State")
- 13,297,101 are IDPs or people in situations such as IDPs assisted by UNHCR
- 9,694,535 in the Asia and Pacific bureau, among them
- 3.506,644 is a refugee
- 278,350 is in a refugee-like situation
- 133894 has pending asylum cases
- 1,801,802 has no nationality ("people are not considered citizens by any State")
- 2.965.211 is IDP or people in situations such as IDPs assisted by UNHCR
- 8,451,275 in the East and the Horn of Africa, among them
- 2,713,748 are refugees
- 33,553 are in a refugee-like situation
- 108.016 has a pending asylum case
- 233,726 are not stateless ("people are not considered citizens by any State"
- 5,119,463 are IDPs or people in situations like IDPs assisted by UNHCR
- 7,726,594 in America, among them
- 501,049 are refugees
- 251.888 is in a refugee-like situation
- 276,394 has pending asylum case
- 136,413 are not stateless ("people are not considered citizens by any State")
- 6.520.270 is IDP or people in situations such as IDPs assisted by UNHCR
- 7,585,581 in Europe, among them
- 3.506,644 is a refugee
- 14.261 is in a refugee-like situation
- 827,374 are asylum seekers
- 610.532 is not a stateless country ("people are not considered citizens by any State"
- 2,574,886 are IDPs or people in situations like IDPs assisted by UNHCR
- 3,580,181 in Central Africa-Great Lakes, among them
- 865,112 are refugees
- 13,741 are in a refugee-like situation
- 18623 has pending asylum case
- 1,302 are not stateless ("people are not considered citizens by any State"
- 2,021,269 are IDPs or people in situations like IDPs assisted by UNHCR
- 2,754,893 in West Africa in between
- 258.893 is a refugee
- (Information not applicable/not available) on numbers in situations such as refugees
- 9.298 has pending asylum case
- 700,116 is not a stateless country ("people are not considered citizens by any State")
- 1,549,516 are IDPs or people in situations like IDPs assisted by UNHCR
- 1,370,217 in South Africa, among them
- 179.837 is a refugee
- (Information not applicable/not available) on numbers in situations such as refugees
- 860,500 has pending asylum case
- 300,000 are not stateless ("people are not considered citizens by any State")
- (Information not applicable/not available) in a number of IDPs or people in situations such as UNHCR-assisted IDPs
Staffing
As of April 2008, UNHCR employs 6,351 staff in 117 countries.
High Commissioner
The UN General Assembly elects the High Commissioner every five years. The High Commissioner is supported by the 'Executive Committee for High Commissioners' Program and he must make an annual report to the UN General Assembly and need to follow their direction. The current High Commissioner is Filippo Grandi, who has held office from 1 January 2016. Prior to the establishment of UNHCR, Fridtjof Nansen was the High Commissioner of the League of Nations from the International Office of the Nansen for Refugees, from 1922. The High Commissioner's position has been held by:
Special Envoy of the High Commissioner Filippo Grandi
- Angelina Jolie
After 10 years as ambassador, Angelina Jolie was promoted in 2012 to Special Envoy to the High Commissioner. In this role he represents UNHCR and High Commissioner Philippo Grandi at the diplomatic level and works to facilitate long-term solutions for people displaced by large-scale crises, such as Afghanistan and Somalia. "This is a remarkable position that reflects the extraordinary role he plays for us," a UNHCR spokeswoman said.
Goodwill ambassador
UNHCR said in a joint statement that Duta Besar Goodwill UNHCR, in which it has been established:
- Barbara Hendricks (Honorary Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador)
- Cate Blanchett
- David Morrissey
- Neil Gaiman
- Yao Chen
- Julien Clerc
- George Dalaras
- Alessandro Gassman
- Muazzez Ersoy
- Khaled Hosseini
- Kristin Davis
- Adel Emam
- Ger Duany
- Rokia Traore
- Osvaldo Laport
- JesÃÆ'ºs Vá¡zquez
- Alek Wek
- Jung Woo-sung
- Praya Lundberg
- John Abraham
- Yusra Mardini
- Sheikha Rima al-Sabah
- Iskui Abalyan
Previous ambassadors include:
- Richard Burton
- Nazia Hassan
- James Mason
- Sophia Loren
See also
- Nansen International Office for Refugees
- High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugee Representation in Cyprus
- Representation of UNHCR in India
- The Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Fund, a scholarship program for refugees managed by UNHCR
- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East
- Dadaab
- Australia
Note
References
- Gil Loescher, Alexander Betts, and James Milner. UNHCR: The Politics and Practices of Refugee Protection into the Twenty-First Century , Routledge. 2008.
- Alexander Betts. Persuasion Protection: International Cooperation in Refugee Regime , Cornell University Press. 2009.
- Gil Loescher. UNHCR and World Politics: Difficult Paths . Oxford University Press. 2002
- Fiona Terry. Convicted to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian Action . Cornell University Press. 2002.
- Nicholas Steiner. Protection Issues. Routledge. 2003.
External links
- Official website
- Refugee documents and news website "Refworld" UNHCR: from the UNHCR Information Section and Protection Section (SDPIS) in the International Protection Service Division (DIPS).
- Packaged Drinking Water Program to Support UNHCR
- News from UNHCR's official website
- "Basic facts" from the official website
- Measure Protection by Numbers, Reports from official website
- United Nations Law Rules: High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees, on the supremacy of the law conducted by the High Commissioner for Refugees.
- The history of the United Nations - the site of the British Government
- "Who is Refugees and who is not - Identity Crisis as a Challenge for Protection" Online video from address by Ms. Erika Feller, director, International Protection Department, UNHCR, in 2005
- USCRI Campaign to End IDP Displacement
- USCRI Joint Statement Asks Solution to End Warehousing of Refugees
- "Prison from Stateless: The Derelictions of UNHCR" by Jacob Stevens
- Nine Million
- EarthWater
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