Protection Starter Kit
This compilation of basic protection and protection-related documents has been developed on the request of, and to benefit newly recruited UNHCR staff (including JPOs) as well as deployees and UNVs working with UNHCR. The compilation brings together key documents that all staff who are undertaking protection activities on behalf of UNHCR should be familiar with. Given the nature of the compilation, it may also be of value to members of civil society (e.g.: NGOs, lawyers, academics, students) who wish to enhance their understanding of UNHCR and its protection mandate.
While this compilation provides a helpful starting point and will be updated periodically, colleagues are encouraged to use the extensive electronic Refworld collection when addressing country and/or thematic issues in their work.
Table of Contents
- 1.UNHCR and International Protection
- 2.Community Services
- 3.Women
- 4.Children
- 5.Older Persons
- 6.Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)
- 7.Statelessness
- 8.Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
- 9.Refugee Status Determination (RSD)
- 10.Protection Operations Support
- 11.Protection Training and Learning
1. UNHCR and International Protection Top
1.1 General Introduction Top
- UNHCR Mission Statement
- UNHCR Statute, 14 December 1950
- Protecting Refugees; A Field Guide for NGOs, September 1999
- Refugee Protection: A Guide to International Refugee Law, UNHCR and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), December 2001
- Thematic Compilation of Executive Committee Conclusions, Fourth edition, August 2009
- Thematic Compilation of UN General Assembly and ECOSOC Resolutions concerning UNHCR, February 2003
- Agenda for Protection, Third edition, October 2003
- UNHCR Code of Conduct & Explanatory Notes, June 2004
- UNHCR Accountability Framework for Age, Gender and Diversity Mainstreaming, May 2007
- Collection of International Instruments and Legal Texts Concerning Refugees and Others of Concern to UNHCR, June 2007
- Protecting Refugees & the Role of UNHCR, September 2007 (brochure)
- The 1951 Convention: Questions and Answers, September 2007 (brochure)
- NGO Partnerships in Refugee Protection: Questions & Answers, September 2007 (brochure)
- Conclusions on International Protection (updated annually)
1.2 Durable Solutions Top
- Handbook on Voluntary Repatriation: International Protection, 1996
- Framework for Durable Solutions for Refugees and Persons of Concern, Core Group on Durable Solutions, 1 May 2003
- Handbook for Repatriation and Reintegration Activities, May 2004
- Handbook for Planning and Implementing Development Assistance for Refugees (DAR) Programmes, January 2005
- Handbook on Self-Reliance, August 2005
- Resettlement Handbook (revised September 2011)
1.3 Emergencies Top
- Handbook for Emergencies, Third Edition, February 2007
- IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, Inter-Agency Standing Committee, 20 June 2007
2. Community Services Top
- UN High Commissioner for Refugees, The Heightened Risk Identification Tool - Second Edition, June 2010
- UN High Commissioner for Refugees, The Heightened Risk Identification Tool (User Guide) - Second Edition, June 2010
- Reinforcing a Community Development Approach, UNHCR Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, Standing Committee, EC/51/SC/CRP.6, 15 February 2001
- The Community Services Function in UNHCR. An Independent Evaluation, EPAU/2003/02, Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit, March 2003
- UNHCR Tool for Participatory Assessment in Operations, First edition, May 2006
- Women, Girls, Boys and Men: Different Needs - Equal Opportunities. IASC Gender Handbook in Humanitarian Action, Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), December 2006
- UNHCR Manual on a Community Based Approach in UNHCR Operations, March 2008
3. Women Top
- UNHCR Policy on Refugee Women, August 1990
- UNHCR's Commitments to Refugee Women, December 2001
- UNHCR Policy on Refugee Women and Guidelines on Their Protection: An Assessment of Ten Years of Implementation. An Independent Sssessment by the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, May 2002
- Handbook for the Protection of Women and Girls, January 2008
4. Children Top
- Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, International Protection of Children of Concern, Standing Committee 48th meeting, EC/61/SC/CRP.13 , 31 May 2010
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 8: Child Asylum Claims under Articles 1(A)2 and 1(F) of the 1951 Convention and/or 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees - HCR/GIP/09/08 , 22 December 2009
- UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Conclusion on Children at Risk - No. 107 (LVIII) - 2007 , 5 October 2007
- UNHCR, EPAU, Meeting the rights and protection needs of refugee children: An Independent evaluation of the impact of UNHCR's activities, 2002
- UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Education Strategy 2007-2009. Policy, Challenges and Objectives, June 2007
- Inter-Agency, Inter-Agency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children, January 2004
- Separated Children in Europe Programme, SCEP Statement of Good Practice - Fourth edition, March 2010
- UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR Guidelines on Determining the Best Interests of the Child, May 2008
- UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Guidelines on the Protection of Child Victims of Trafficking, September 2006
- UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), The Paris Principles. Principles and Guidelines on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups, February 2007
- Plan International, Count Every Child: The Right to Birth Registration, 2009
- Action for the Rights of Children: ARC Resources Pack, 2009
5. Older Persons Top
- UNHCR's Policy on Older Refugees, EC/50/SC/CRP.13, Annex II, 19 April 2000
- Older People in Disasters and Humanitarian Crises: Guidelines for Best Practice, HelpAge International, 2000
- The Protection of Older Persons and Persons With Disabilities, EC/58/SC/CRP.14, 6 June 2007
6. Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Top
- Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Against Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons. Guidelines for Prevention and Response, May 2003
- Guidelines for Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings: Focusing on Prevention of and Response to Sexual Violence in Emergencies, IASC Taskforce on Gender in Humanitarian Assistance, September 2005
7. Statelessness Top
- A Study of Statelessness, E/1112; E/1112/Add.1, United Nations, August 1949
- Information and Accession Package: The 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, January 1999
- Final Report Concerning the Questionnaire on Statelessness Pursuant to the Agenda for Protection. Steps taken by States to Reduce Statelessness and to Meet the Protection Needs of Stateless Persons, March 2004
- UNHCR's activities in the field of statelessness: progress report, EC/55/SC/CRP.13/Rev.1, 30 June 2005
- Nationality and Statelessness. A Handbook for Parliamentarians, UNHCR and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), October 2005
- The World's Stateless People. Questions & Answers, September 2007 (brochure)
- The Excluded: The strange, hidden world of the stateless, Refugees Magazine, Special Report, No. 147, Issue 3, September 2007
8. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Top
- Handbook for Applying the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 1 November 1999
- Manual on Field Practice in Internal Displacement. Examples from UN Agencies and Partner Organizations of Field-Based Initiatives Supporting Internally Displaced Persons, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 1999
- Implementing the Collaborative Response to Situations of Internal Displacement. Guidance for UN Humanitarian and/or Resident Coordinators and Country Teams, Inter-Agency Standing Committee, September 2004
- Guidance Note on Using the Cluster Approach to Strengthen Humanitarian Response, Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), 24 November 2006
- Internally Displaced People. Questions & Answers, September 2007 (brochure)
- Guidance on Profiling Internally Displaced Persons, Provisional release, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), November 2007
- Handbook for the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons, Provisional release, Global Protection Cluster Working Group, December 2007
9. Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Top
- Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/1P/4/ENG/REV. 3, December 2011
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 1: Gender-Related Persecution Within the Context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/02/01, 7 May 2002
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 2: "Membership of a Particular Social Group" Within the Context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/02/02, 7 May 2002
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 3: Cessation of Refugee Status under Article 1C(5) and (6) of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (the "Ceased Circumstances" Clauses), HCR/GIP/03/03, 10 February 2003
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 4: "Internal Flight or Relocation Alternative" Within the Context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/03/04, 23 July 2003
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 5: Application of the Exclusion Clauses: Article 1F of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/03/05, 4 September 2003
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 6: Religion-Based Refugee Claims under Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/04/06, 28 April 2004
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 7: The Application of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees to Victims of Trafficking and Persons At Risk of Being Trafficked, HCR/GIP/04/06, 7 April 2006
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 8: Child Asylum Claims under Articles 1(A)2 and 1(F) of the 1951 Convention and/or 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/09/08, 22 December 2009
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 9: Claims to Refugee Status based on Sexual Orientation and/or Gender Identity within the context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/12/01, 23 October 2012
- Guidelines on International Protection No. 10: Claims to Refugee Status related to Military Service within the context of Article 1A (2) of the 1951 Convention and/or the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/13/10/Corr. 1, 3 December 2013
- Procedural Standards for Refugee Status Determination Under UNHCR's Mandate, 20 November 2003
10. Protection Operations Support Top
- Project Planning in UNHCR: A Practical Guide on the Use of Objectives, Outputs, and Indicators for UNHCR Staff Implementing Partners, Second version, March 2002
- Designing Protection Strategies and Measuring Progress: Checklist for UNHCR Staff, July 2002
- UNHCR Handbook for Registration, Provisional release, September 2003
- Practical Guide to the Systematic Use of Standards & Indicators in UNHCR Operations, Second edition, February 2006
- Operational Protection in Camps and Settlements. A Reference Guide of Good Practices in the Protection of Refugees and Other Persons of Concern, June 2006
- Protection Gaps: Framework for Analysis, Enhancing Protection of Refugees, June 2006
- Operational Guidelines on Maintaining the Civilian and Humanitarian Character of Asylum, September 2006
11. Protection Training and Learning Top
11.1 Mandatory Learning Programmes Top
There are four mandatory computer-based training programmes that all staff - including JPOs, UNVs, deployees, consultants and interns - are required to undertake. They are currently available on the UNHCR Intranet or on a CD upon request. They are listed below for reference purposes:
- Protection Induction Programme
- Basic Security in the Field
- Advanced Security in the Field
- Prevention of Harassment in the Workplace
11.2 Self-Study Modules Top
UNHCR's self-study modules have been designed to benefit all UNHCR staff, partners and other members of civil society. They are also frequently referred to by colleagues designing protection training workshops for a wide range of audiences:
- Self-Study Module 1: An Introduction to International Protection. Protecting Persons of Concern to UNHCR, August 2005
- Self-Study Module 2: Refugee Status Determination. Identifying Who is a Refugee, September 2005
- Self-Study Module 3: Interpreting in a Refugee Context, 1 January 2009
- RLD4 - Interviewing Applicants for Refugee Status, 1995
- Self-Study Module 5: Human Rights and Refugee Protection (Vol. I), December 2006
- Self-Study Module 5: Human Rights and Refugee Protection (Vol. II), December 2006
- Self-Study Module 6: Statelessness, September 2010
11.3 Protection Learning Programmes Top
The various protection learning programmes consist of a self-study phase, a workshop and a post-workshop phase. They are offered by UNHCR on a regional basis for UNHCR staff and partners who are working on the respective thematic issues. They are listed below for reference purposes:
- Protection Learning Programme: An intermediate programme for all UNHCR staff from GS6 and higher who wish to better understand protection-oriented operations.
- Thematic Protection Learning Programme on Statelessness: A Thematic Programme for senior staff and partners on how to work towards identifying, preventing, responding to and protecting stateless persons in an operation.
- Thematic Protection Learning Programme on Protection Strategies in the Context of Broader Migration Movements: A programme for middle and senior level staff and partners on the protection of persons of concern to UNHCR in the context of broader migration movements.
- Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Learning Programme: An operation-specific training for staff members working extensively on RSD issues.
- Resettlement Learning Programme: An operation-specific training for staff members working extensively on resettlement issues.
