Legal Protection
© UNHCR / G. Amarasinghe
Based on the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention, UNHCR's core mandate is to ensure the international protection of uprooted people worldwide.
Our organization promotes the basic human rights of refugees and ensures they will not be returned involuntarily to a country where they face persecution. We help them to repatriate to their homeland when conditions permit, integrate into states of asylum or resettle in third countries. We also promote international refugee agreements, help states establish asylum structures and act as an international watchdog over refugee issues.
Resettlement
The 1951 Refugee Convention
UNHCR Statute
Handbook for Determining Refugee Status and Guidelines on International Protection
- Guidance on IDP Protection in the Context of Disasters and the Adverse Effects of Climate Change Oct 2021
- Your Guide to Protection Care Management Oct 2021
- Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees Feb 2019
Legal and Protection Policy Research
A series of legal research and protection policy papers issued by the UNHCR Division of International Protection.
Related news and stories
Stories
Birth registration drive brings Congo's indigenous in from the shadows
Stories
Volunteers boost Sama Bajau birth registration amid pandemic
News
'Political will' needed to safeguard 82.4 million displaced – UNHCR protection chief
News Releases
The 1951 Refugee Convention: 70 years of life-saving protection
News Releases
UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Gillian Triggs among laureates of inaugural Ruth Bader Ginsburg Medal of Honor
News Releases