Legal Protection
Legal Protection
Based on the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention, UNHCR’s core mandate is to ensure the international protection of uprooted people worldwide.
© UNHCR / G. Amarasinghe
UNHCR promotes the basic human rights of refugees and ensures they will not be returned involuntarily to a country where they face persecution. We help them to repatriate to their homeland when conditions permit, integrate into states of asylum or resettle in third countries.
We also promote international refugee agreements, help states establish asylum structures and act as an international watchdog over refugee issues.
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Resettlement
An alternative for those who cannot go home, made possible by UNHCR and governments.
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The 1951 Refugee Convention
The 1951 Refugee Convention is the key legal document that forms the basis of UNHCR's work.
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UNHCR Statute
The Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was adopted by the General Assembly on 14 December 1950 and defines the functions of the High Commissioner.
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Handbook for determining refugee status and Guidelines on international protection
1 October 2021
1 February 2019
The Handbook was first published in 1979 and re-issued in 1992 and in 2019.
A series of legal research and protection policy papers issued by the UNHCR Division of International Protection.
