According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is someone who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country.
When refugees flee their home countries they leave behind their lives, their jobs, their homes and belongings, their friends, and their families.
Refugees come from all walks of life – they are farmers, factory workers, shopkeepers, mechanics, electricians, doctors, lawyers, politicians. What sets them apart from others is their need for international protection because of war, persecution due to their beliefs, and violations of their human rights.
Refugees cannot be protected by their own country as they were forced to flee from it. Therefore, their protection and assistance then becomes a matter of the responsibility of the international community.
UNHCR together with its partners promote protection activities and assistance programmes to ensure that their basic needs are met while waiting for a longer term solution.