United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The UNHCR recorded an "unprecedented" 57,959,702 people falling within its mandate in its Mid-Year Trends report from June 2015 (based on data for mid-2015 or the most recent information available at that time) (for reference, on 1 January 2007, 21,018,589 people, or less than half of the number in 2015, fell under the mandate of the UNHCR). The Syrian Civil War was primarily blamed for the sudden surge, although other conflicts in Afghanistan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, and the Ukraine all worsened or started up, contributing to general trends.

What does UNHCR Describe?

An international organization called UNHCR, or the UN Refugee Agency, works to save lives, protects rights, and gives shelter to the refugees that have been forcibly displaced, and stateless people.

• The target demographic for the organization consists of refugees, people who have been forcibly uprooted from their homes, asylum seekers, internally displaced people, and stateless individuals.

• Following the widespread migration that the Second World War in Europe generated, the UNHCR was founded in 1950.

• Since then, it has helped thousands of displaced people and refugees in various regions of the world.

• Moreover, the UNHCR has twice received the Nobel Peace Prize (1954 and 1981).

• The 1951 Refugee Convention is the main legal document that directs the UNHCR's operations.

• The organization has offices in New Delhi and Chennai and operates in 135 nations, including India. In 1981, it first developed a presence in India.

• The High Commissioner for Refugees is in charge of the UNHCR.

• The General Assembly of the United Nations is its parent body (UNGA).

• Those who work to preserve the rights of refugees are annually given the Nansen Refugee Prize by the UNHCR.

Chairman of UNHCR	Fillipo Gandhi
Headquarter	Geneva, Switzerland
Founded by	United Nation
Founded Year	14 Dec, 1950
Parent Organisation	United Nation (UN)
Legal Status	Non-Profitable

Structure of UNHCR

The UNGA and ECOSOC are used to govern the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The Executive Committee approves both the corresponding budget and the agency's biannual programs. These are provided with the assistance of the High Commissioner, who is chosen with the support of the UNGA.

The 1950 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Law is used to explain the mandate. The UNGA extended the mission "until the refugee issue is resolved" in 2003. The UNGA and Economic and Social Council also receive yearly reports from the High Commissioner on the work of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Functions of UNHCR

UNHCR have some functions as stated below-

• The organization has the responsibility of leading and coordinating global efforts to safeguard refugees (apart from Palestinians, who are aided by UNRWA) and find solutions to refugee issues.

• Protecting the rights and welfare of refugees is its main goal. It works to ensure that everyone can exercise their right to seek asylum and find safe haven in another state, with the choice to voluntarily return home, integrate locally, or resettle in a third nation.

• In order to help IDPs and refugees in camps and urban contexts, UNHCR currently operates significant missions in Lebanon, South Sudan, Chad/Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kenya.

• The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organization for African Unity Convention, or some other treaty, would qualify them as refugees under its legal definition if they left their country but are currently residing in another country. As a result, UNHCR's mandate has gradually been expanded to include protecting and providing humanitarian assistance to those it describes as other persons "of concern," including internally displaced persons (IDPs).

• In the 1990s, during the Kosovo War, UNHCR established the ProGres database, which currently manages almost 11 million refugees' records, or roughly 11% of all displaced people worldwide.

Mandate of UNHCR

The foundation of UNHCR's mandate is −

• The UN General Assembly's adoption of Resolution 428 [V] on December 14, 1950, which established the UNHCR, which is the statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;

• As of April 2013, there were 145 Member States of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which went into effect in 1954 and established the UNHCR's mandate to oversee the Convention's implementation (under Art. 35 of the Refugee Convention);

• In accordance with specific requests made by the UN General Assembly or the Secretary-General (General Assembly Resolution 48/116 of December 20, 1993), UNHCR's mandate may be temporarily extended to assist States with particular refugee issues.

History of UNHCR

For the duration of the Second World War's aftermath, the UNHCR office was founded in 1950 to assist thousands of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes. They were given three years to complete the project and close.

• In 1954, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees won the Nobel Peace Prize for its outstanding service to Europe.

• During the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, two million people fled to Austria, a neighboring country. The High Commissioner for Refugees of the United Nations forced them to relocate. How future refugee crises might be handled by humanitarian organizations was shaped by this uprising and its consequences.

• The 1960s saw the decolonization of Africa, which led to a serious refugee crisis on that continent.

Conclusion

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' major goal is to protect the rights and wellbeing of people who have been forced to flee. Along with friends and communities, they ensure that everyone has the right to seek refuge and find a safe haven in any other nation. It also looks for enduring and reliable solutions.

Q1. How many countries are members of UNHCR?

Ans. UNHCR is one of the world's principal humanitarian organizations with 6,100 staff of whom 900 are based at headquarters and 5,200 in field locations, in 121 countries around the world.

Q2. What is the main purpose of the Commission for refugees?

Ans. The objective of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is to protect the rights and welfare of refugees and asylum seekers around the world. It works to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to exercise their right to seek asylum in another nation and start over in safety and dignity.

Q3. Is India signatory to UNHCR?

Ans. India is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and does not have a national refugee protection framework.

Q4. What is the role of United Nations High Commissioner for refugees?

Ans. The mission of UNHCR is to uphold the fundamental principles that are recognized by all States regarding the freedom of individuals to leave their own country and seek asylum in another.

Q5. Who is the current UN High Commissioner for Refugees?

Ans. The current High Commissioner is Filippo Grandi, who has held the post since 1 January 2016. Prior to the establishment of the UNHCR, Fridtjof Nansen was the League's High Commissioner for Refugees.