Press Releases

UNHCR Kazakhstan marks the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention

Today the Geneva Refugee Convention enters its 60th years. Forced displacement in the world becomes increasingly complex, as developing countries struggle to host the large majority of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons.

"Since the signing of the Convention, the level of cooperation between UNHCR and the Government of Kazakhstan has remained excellent, and I would like to underline the strong commitment of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan at all levels to the principles enshrined in the Convention. During all these years, provisions of the Convention were governing refugee operations in Kazakhstan, leading to the adoption of the national refugee legislation which came into force in January 2010. Currently, we continue very close cooperation with the Government on the improvement of the national law, ensuring international protection to refugees, facilitating durable solutions and capacity building" - underlined Mr. Saber Azam, UNHCR Regional Representative/Regional Coordinator for Central Asia.

The UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees was formally adopted on 28 July 1951 to resolve the refugee problem in Europe after World War II. This global treaty provides a definition of who qualifies as a refugee - a person with a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion - and spells out the rights and obligations between host countries and refugees. As the legal foundation on which UNHCR's work is based, it has enabled the agency to help millions of uprooted people to restart their lives in the last 60 years. Today, the Convention remains the cornerstone of refugee protection. It has adapted and endured through six decades of massive changes. However, it faces unprecedented challenges today due to complexity of issues generating forced displacement.

In Kazakhstan, UNHCR was established in 1995 and currently closely cooperates with Governments, regional, international and non-governmental organizations to pursue the following key objectives:

• Strengthening and preserving asylum space;
• Ensuring international protection of refugees;
• Facilitating durable solutions for refugees, such as voluntary repatriation to the country of origin, local integration in the country of asylum, and resettlement to a third country;
• Supporting self-reliance programs, such as self-employment, vocational trainings, etc.;
• Assisting in developing and strengthening legal and administrative frameworks aiming at the prevention and reduction of statelessness;
• Protecting refugees and the asylum space within mixed migratory flows;
• Assisting and supporting the Government in emergency preparedness;
• UNHCR ensures access for refugees and asylum-seekers to basic social services, including education, healthcare, livelihood, and provides financial assistance to the most vulnerable individuals and families.