UNHCR master glossary of terms

The term used by UNHCR to refer to a decision to invalidate a refugee status recognition which should not have been granted in the first place. Cancellation affects determinations that have become final, that is, they are no longer subject to appeal or review. It has the effect of rendering refugee status null and void from the date of the initial determination (ab initio or ex tunc – from the start or from then). Cancellation may be appropriate, for example, in cases where it is established that the person did not meet the eligibility criteria set out in the relevant inclusion clauses or that one of the exclusion clauses would have been applicable had all the relevant facts been known. The decision to grant refugee status may have been made in error because the person had intentionally misrepresented or concealed material facts in order to obtain refugee status, in cases of misconduct such as bribery, or due to a mistake by the determining authority.

A process by which individuals, institutions and societies develop abilities, individually and collectively, to perform functions, to solve problems, and to set and achieve goals.

A declaration adopted by the Colloquium on the International Protection of Refugees in Central America in November 1984. The Cartagena Declaration broadens the definition of refugee enshrined in the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees to include 'persons who have fled their country because their lives, safety or freedom have been threatened by generalized violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, massive violation of human rights or other circumstances which have seriously disturbed public order'. Although not legally binding, the provisions of the Cartagena Declaration have been incorporated in the legislation of numerous Latin America countries.

Any procedure that results in a determination of whether or not the individual concerned is a refugee. Case-processing modalities are differentiated on the basis of how refugee status is determined, not on the criteria used. While different countries may use different names to refer to the differentiated case processing modalities that they implement, they most commonly are referring to different forms of simplified refugee status determination (RSD), accelerated RSD or merged registration-RSD.

Note: Differentiated case processing modalities, especially those that are simplified or streamlined, must be designed carefully and with appropriate safeguards so that their implementation does not negatively impact integrity or fairness of the RSD procedure. While case processing modalities can be differentiated, due process requirements remain the same and will need to be incorporated into any modality adopted. 

An act by which an individual is formally determined to no longer be a refugee. Under Article 1C of the 1951 Convention, refugee status may cease either through the actions of the refugee, such as by re-establishment in their country of origin, or through fundamental changes in the objective circumstances in the country of origin upon which refugee status was based. Cessation operates to withdraw refugee status, and brings to an end related rights and benefits. It may be determined on an individual or group basis, and is subject to specific legal procedures and safeguards.

Legal provisions setting out the conditions under which refugee status comes to an end because it is no longer needed or justified. Cessation clauses are found in Article 1(C) of the 1951 Convention, and in Article 1(4) of the 1969 OAU Convention.

“Every human being below the age of eighteen years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier”, as defined in Article 1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The term includes adolescents and is preferable to the term minor.

A child who is at heightened risk as a result of exposure to risks in the wider protection environment and/or risks resulting from individual circumstances. Children at risk include unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), as well as other children who are at risk of, or have experienced violence, exploitation, abuse or neglect.

Any work performed by a child which deprives them of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development.

Child labour refers to work that:

• is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and/or
• interferes with their schooling by: depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely; or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

Any marriage where at least one of the parties is under 18 years of age.

Note: According to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, child marriage “is considered as a form of forced marriage given that one or both parties have not expressed their full, free and informed consent.”

An approach to addressing the needs of an individual child and their family in an appropriate, systematic and timely manner, through direct support and/or referrals.

This notion refers to a continuum of prevention, risk mitigation and response services that prevent and respond to child abuse, exploitation, violence, neglect and family separation.

Certain formal and informal structures, functions and capacities that have been assembled to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children. A child protection system is generally agreed to be comprised of the following components: human resources, finance, laws and policies, governance, monitoring and data collection as well as protection and response services and care management. It also includes different actors – children, families, communities, those working at sub-national or national level and those working internationally. Most important are the relationships and interactions between and among these components and these actors within the system. It is the outcomes of these interactions that comprise the system.

See national.

The continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events pertaining to the population, as provided through decree or regulation in accordance with the legal requirements in each country. This process is carried out primarily for the purpose of establishing the documents provided for by law.

A principle of international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law underlining the grant of asylum as an inherently peaceful and humanitarian act which should not be regarded as unfriendly by another State. Primary responsibility for ensuring the civilian and humanitarian character of asylum lies with States. It involves locating refugee camps and settlements at a reasonable distance from the border; maintaining law and order; curtailing the flow of arms into refugee camps and settlements; preventing their use for the internment of prisoners of war; disarming armed elements; and identifying, separating and interning combatants.

Refers to all efforts to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its current and future impacts.

1. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines climate change as: “a change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g., by using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. Climate change may be due to natural internal processes or external forcings, or to persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use”.
2. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines climate change as “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods”.

See person displaced in the context of disasters and climate change.

Note: The term climate refugee is often used in the media and other discussions. However, this phrase can cause confusion, as it does not exist in international law. This term is also problematic in attributing displacement to a single driver - climate change - which is better characterized as a "risk multiplier" that exacerbates and combines with other drivers of displacement, as recognized by the Global Compact on Refugees. A refugee is defined as a person who has crossed an international border “owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion” (1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees). In some contexts, the definition extends to persons fleeing “events seriously disturbing public order” (1969 OAU Convention; 1984 Cartagena Declaration). Climate change most frequently affects people inside their own countries, and typically creates internal displacement before it reaches a level where it displaces people across borders. There may be situations where the refugee criteria of the 1951 Convention or broader refugee criteria of regional refugee law frameworks may apply, for example if drought-related famine is linked to situations of armed conflict and violence. Regardless, the term climate refugee (along with similar terms climate change refugee and environmental refugee) is not endorsed by UNHCR.

A leadership approach used for coordinating responses in non-refugee humanitarian emergencies. Accountability for the delivery of services (health, shelter, etc.) is spread across different cluster lead agencies, and as a result no single agency is accountable for an entire response. In each country situation, overall accountability for coordination and delivery rests with the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC). A Cluster Approach may be used in humanitarian emergencies caused by either conflicts or disasters. UNHCR is the designated cluster lead for emergency shelter, camp coordination and camp management, and protection in situations of conflict-related internal displacement.

A common set of principles or standards that a group of agencies or organizations, or the personnel of an organization, have agreed to abide by while providing assistance in response to complex emergencies or disasters. All UNHCR staff are required to sign the UNHCR Code of Conduct, committing them to uphold its ethical standards.

Any measure compelling non-nationals, as a group, to leave a country, except where such a measure is taken on the basis of a reasonable and objective examination of the particular case of each individual of the group. Alternative term mass expulsion is sometimes used.

A person who is authorized to use force in situations of armed conflict, and who, in turn, is a lawful military target. A combatant can be a member of the armed forces, other than medical personnel and chaplains, or of an organized group. Under international humanitarian law, armed forces are subject to an internal disciplinary system, which, inter alia, must enforce compliance with the rules of international law applicable to armed conflict.

In the United Nations context, the term international commission of inquiry/fact finding mission is used to designate a variety of temporary investigative bodies of a non-judicial nature, established by the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and tasked with investigating alleged violations of international human rights, international humanitarian law or international criminal law and making recommendations for corrective action based on their factual and legal findings.

An essential element of any United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) process, the common country analysis (CCA) is the UN system’s independent and mandate-based articulation of a given country context, including opportunities and challenges. It encompasses sustainable development, human rights, gender equality, peace and security, and humanitarian perspectives. The CCA represents a powerful source of information to help the UN system engage with national stakeholders, including to advocate for policy changes and to support the drafting of a national development plan.

Reception and integration support that involves the pairing of resettled refugees or persons admitted under complementary pathways with individuals, groups of individuals or organizations (i.e. sponsors such as local clubs, businesses, university communities, faith groups, etc.). These entities commit to providing clearly defined financial and/or in-kind contributions, emotional support and volunteer services to help refugees or other persons in need of international protection upon arrival.

An inclusive partnership strategy that recognizes and builds on the capacities and resources of forcibly displaced and stateless persons, by establishing trust, promoting meaningful participation, consultation and leadership in all aspects of programmes that affect them. It is a continuous process that engages communities as analysts, evaluators and implementers in their own protection.

For the purposes of distinguishing admissions through complementary pathways, the meaning of the term resettlement is restricted to UNHCR-referred submissions against State-set quotas to which all complementary pathways arrivals remain complimentary/additional; as well as submissions from authorized non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to government resettlement programmes. Opportunities provided by States and other partners to persons in need of international protection to obtain durable solutions through programmes additional to and based on different identification methodology and criteria than resettlement are considered complementary pathways.

Food items provided by UNHCR in addition to the basic ration provided by the World Food Programme. For breastfed infants and children, complementary food is also used to refer to any food or liquid other than breast milk.

Existing legal admission pathways that are adjusted for persons in need of international protection, as well as newly created programmes that provide for lawful stay in a third country where the international protection needs of the beneficiaries are met. These programmes are additional and separate to resettlement programmes. Eligibility of beneficiaries for complementary pathways is based on criteria other than those for resettlement and include their education or employment qualifications, family composition, etc. Complementary pathways are exclusive to persons in need of international protection as beneficiaries, but do not always constitute durable solutions in and of themselves. They are solutions-oriented and progressive pathways to permanent residency or citizenship. Eligibility for complementary pathways is not necessarily limited to officially recognized refugees under UNHCR mandate or relevant States authorities.

Mechanisms used by States to regularize the stay of persons found to fall outside the scope of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, but who are nevertheless in need of international protection.

A multifaceted humanitarian crisis in a country, region or society where there is a total or considerable breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict and which requires a multi-sectoral, international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single agency or the ongoing UN country programme. Such emergencies have, in particular, a devastating effect on children and women, and call for a complex range of responses.

The Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) provides a blueprint for international responses to large-scale movements of refugees and protracted refugee situations. It was first introduced as an annex to the 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. The CRRF underlines the importance of supporting countries and communities that host large numbers of refugees, promoting the inclusion of refugees in host communities, ensuring the involvement of development actors from an early stage, and developing a ‘whole-of-society’ approach to refugee responses. Its four key objectives are to ease pressures on host countries; to enhance refugee self-reliance; to expand access to third-country solutions; and to support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity. The CRRF presents important opportunities for a more comprehensive and strategic approach to partnerships in which UNHCR acts as a catalyst to engage a broad range of national, regional and international actors.

A strategy whereby UNHCR engages with concerned parties (including authorities in countries of asylum and origin, as well as affected refugees) with the aim of enhancing solutions opportunities for a particular refugee population or group by applying a combination of durable solutions. These strategies have included support for voluntary repatriation and increased opportunities for local integration. They may also include the strategic use of resettlement; complementary pathways for admission to third countries; other local solutions and support to refugee-hosting communities by UNHCR, development partners and bilateral donors.

Any freely given and informed indication of agreement by a person. Consent is not given if agreement is obtained through abuse of power, force or threat of force, and other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception or misrepresentation.

Any freely given and informed indication of an agreement by the data subject to the processing of their personal data, which may be given either by a written or oral statement or by a clear affirmative action.

The area of sea extending from a coastal State's territorial sea to a maximum of 24 nautical miles from its coastline. Under Article 33 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) the coastal State enjoys limited powers within its contiguous zone, with respect to its customs, fiscal, immigration, and sanitary laws.

Standard UNHCR registration form including only very basic data, used to list people to whom a border card or fixing token has been given, or who are included in a passenger manifest.

A formal multilateral treaty with a broad number of parties. Conventions are normally open for participation by the international community as a whole, or by a large number of States. Usually instruments negotiated under the auspices of an international organization are entitled conventions. The same holds true for instruments adopted by an organ of an international organization.

Adopted in 1984, this treaty requires States parties, inter alia, to incorporate the crime of torture in their domestic legislation and to punish acts of torture; to undertake a prompt investigation of any alleged act of torture; to ensure that statements made as a result of torture are not invoked as evidence; and to establish a right to fair and adequate compensation and rehabilitation for victims. Under the Convention, States parties are prohibited from returning a person to another State where they would be at risk of torture (non-refoulement). Compliance by States parties with their obligations under the Convention is monitored by the Committee against Torture.

Reasons established in the 1951 Convention as one of the essential elements of the refugee definition. According to the Convention, in order for a person to be recognized as a refugee under international law, their fear of persecution must be linked to one or more of the following five grounds: race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.

Note: Additional grounds for refugee recognition may be applicable in specific national or regional contexts, according to relevant national legislation or regional instruments such as the OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa and the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. 189 countries are States parties to the CEDAW.

The 1961 Convention aims to prevent statelessness and reduce it over time. It establishes an international framework to ensure the right of every person to a nationality. It requires that states establish safeguards in their nationality laws to prevent statelessness at birth and later in life. Perhaps the most important provision of the convention establishes that children are to acquire the nationality of the country in which they are born if they do not acquire any other nationality. It also sets out important safeguards to prevent statelessness due to loss or renunciation of nationality and state succession. The convention also sets out the very limited situations in which states can deprive a person of their nationality, even if this would leave them stateless.

Adopted in 2006, this treaty sets out the obligations on State parties to promote, protect and ensure the rights of persons with disabilities. The Convention not only clarifies that States should not discriminate against persons with disabilities, but it also sets out the steps that States must take to create an enabling environment so that persons with disabilities can enjoy real equality in society. Compliance by States parties with their obligations under the Convention is monitored by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Adopted in 1989, this treaty sets comprehensive standards for the protection of the rights of children. It is underpinned by four guiding principles, one of which is non-discrimination in the application of its standards to all children. Therefore, refugee children come fully within its scope. The other guiding principles are the “best interest” of the child, the right to life, survival and development, and the right to participation. Compliance by States parties with their obligations under the Convention is monitored by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Any person who meets the criteria for refugee status under Article 1A of the 1951 Convention together with relevant provisions of the 1967 Protocol, and is entitled to enjoyment of a range of rights under that Convention.

The Convention that establishes the most widely applicable framework for the protection of refugees, and forms the basis of international refugee law. It was adopted in July 1951 and entered into force in April 1954. Article 1 of the 1951 Convention limits its scope to 'events occurring before 1 January 1951' but this restriction was removed by the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. Ratified​ by 145 State parties, the Convention defines the term refugee and outlines the rights of the displaced, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them. UNHCR serves as the ‘guardian’ of the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol.

The 1954 Convention is designed to ensure that stateless people enjoy a minimum set of human rights. It establishes the legal definition of a stateless person as someone who is “not recognized as a national by any state under the operation of its law.” Simply put, this means that a stateless person is someone who does not have the nationality of any country. The 1954 Convention also establishes minimum standards of treatment for stateless people in respect to a number of rights. These include, but are not limited to, the right to education, employment and housing. Importantly, the 1954 Convention also guarantees stateless people a right to identity, travel documents and administrative assistance.

A document issued to a lawfully resident refugee or stateless person for the purpose of travel outside the territory of a Contracting State. The right to a Convention travel document (CTD) is provided for in Article 28 of both the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons. Related term refugee travel document is also commonly used.

The country that is the actual or desired final destination for an asylum-seeker, refugee or migrant.

The country in which a person usually resides. The term is specifically relevant for stateless persons, where it is used to define a stateless person's country of origin. Related term country of usual residence is sometimes used.

The country where an asylum-seeker, refugee or migrant comes from and of which they possess nationality. In the case of stateless persons, the country where they have their habitual residence.

Information which is used in procedures that assess claims to refugee status or other forms of international protection. COI reports are intended to collate information on conditions in countries of origin pertinent to the assessment of claims for asylum, including the human rights, political and security situations.

The country that an asylum-seeker, refugee or migrant moves through (legally or irregularly) during their journey to a country of destination or back to their country of origin or habitual residence. Related term transit country is often used.

Note: There is a notion of temporariness in the concept of transit. However, for many migrants and refugees, particularly those moving irregularly, the journey to an intended destination can take months or years. This challenges the very notion of transit and triggers the question on how much time needs to pass for the country of transit to be considered as a destination. Furthermore, all countries have refugee protection and human rights responsibilities, which may not be abdicated regardless of the temporariness of a person's stay on their territory.

International law that derives its authority from the consistent practice of States out of a sense of legal obligation rather than from formal expression in a treaty or legal text. Customary international law is binding on all States regardless of whether they have ratified any relevant treaty, save for States which are "persistent objectors”.

Note: Several of the provisions in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the prohibition against slavery, torture, prolonged arbitrary detention and extra-judicial killings, are generally recognized to have become part of customary international law, as has the principle of non-refoulement.