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Encyclopedia > United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. Geneva (pronunciation //; French: Genève //, German:   //, Italian: Ginevra) is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich), and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ...

Flag Of UNHCR
Flag Of UNHCR

It succeeded the earlier International Refugee Organization and the even earlier United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. UNHCR was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1954 and 1981. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. Image File history File links Unhcr. ... Image File history File links Unhcr. ... The International Refugee Organization (IRO) was founded in 1946 to deal with the massive refugee problem created by World War II. It was a United Nations specialized agency and took over many of the functions of the earlier United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. ... The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was founded in 1943 to provide relief to areas liberated from Axis powers. ... Lester B. Pearson after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequested by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ... A refugee is a person seeking asylum in a foreign country in order to escape persecution, war, terrorism, extreme poverty, famines, and natural disaster. ...


UNHCR's mandate has gradually been expanded to include protecting and providing humanitarian assistance to what it describes as other persons "of concern," including internally-displaced people (IDPs) who would fit the legal definition of a refugee under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organization for African Unity Convention, or some other treaty if they left their country, but who presently remain in their country of origin. UNHCR presently has major missions in Lebanon, South Sudan, Chad/Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan as well as Kenya to assist and provide services to IDPs and refugees. The United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees is an international convention that defines who is a refugee, and sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum. ... This article is about the Darfur region of western Sudan. ...


As of 1 January 2006, UNHCR reported a total of 20'751'900 individuals falling under its mandate. The largest group is to be found in Asia (8'603600), followed by Africa (5'169'300) and Europe (3'666'700). January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...


A staff of over 6500 individuals in 116 countries continues to help millions of refugees and internally-displaced people around the world. An official charity album (Voyces United for UNHCR) was released in 2005 to draw attention to the organization. Voyces United for UNHCR is a charity album for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ...


UNHCR is also represented by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors, one of whom is actress Angelina Jolie [1]. UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors are celebrity advocates of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and utilize their talent and fame to advocate for refugees. ... Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight on June 4, 1975) is an American film actress, a former fashion model and a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. ...

Contents

High Commissioners

The post of High Commissioner has been held by:

Fridtjof Nansen was the League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1922. António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres (pron. ... Rudolphus Franciscus Marie Lubbers or Ruud Lubbers (born May 7, 1939) was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, from 2001 until February 20, 2005, when he resigned because of continuous press attention about an allegation of sexual harassment. ... Sadako Ogata (jp: 緒方 貞子: Ogata Sadako; born 1927) is a Japanese scholar and administrator. ... Thorvald Stoltenberg (born July 8, 1931) is a Norwegian politician. ... Poul Hartling (1914 April 30 -2000) was a Danish diplomat and politician. ... Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, KBE (January 17, 1933 – May 12, 2003) was an international diplomat whose positions included United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. ... Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Nansen (born October 10, 1861 in Store Frøen, near Christiania - died May 13, 1930 in Lysaker, outside Oslo) was a Norwegian explorer, scientist and diplomat. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference, 1919. ...


See also

The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Nansen passports are internationally recognized identity cards first issued by the League of Nations to stateless refugees. ...

References

Gil Loescher. The UNHCR and World Politics: A Perilous Path. Oxford University Press. 2002


David Rieff. A Bed for the Night. Simon and Schuster. 2003.


Fiona Terry. Condemned to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian Action. Cornell University Press. 2002.


Nicholas Steiner. Problems of Protection. Routledge. 2003.


Tony Waters. Bureaucratizing the Good Samaritan. Westview. 2001.


External links

  • Official web site
  • News from UNHCR official website
  • "Basic facts" from official website
  • History of the United Nations - UK Government site
  • "Who is a Refugee and who is not - the Crisis of Identity as a Challenge to Protection" Online video of an address by Ms. Erika Feller, Director, Department of International Protection, UNHCR, in 2005


 

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