UNHCR Protection Manual
A repository of protection policy and guidance
The Protection Manual is the UN refugee agency's repository of protection policy and guidance, gathering some 1,000 publications ranging from the 1951 UN Refugee Convention to the latest UNHCR policy positions. It is updated whenever a new protection policy or guidance document is published, and can thus be relied upon to represent the current state of UNHCR protection policy and guidance. The manual is organized thematically or by subject, including legal topics (reflecting, for example, UNHCR guidance on the different elements of the refugee definition) and operational protection guidance (for example, on asylum-seekers at sea or age, gender and diversity). Under each heading, the documents are arranged in reverse chronological order and are accessible individually through a hyperlink. Documents from external sources are generally not included, unless they provide guidance on protection-related topics that also applies to or has specifically been endorsed by UNHCR, such as inter-agency guidance. At the end of each subject heading, relevant related sources are listed, containing older guidance and documents which serve as background reading.