Description

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Picture Courtesy: THEHINDU

Context

The United Nations General Assembly has officially approved former Iraqi President Barham Salih as the next UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the first from the Middle East since the late 1970s.

What is UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)?

The UNHCR, also known as the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization mandated by the United Nations to protect and support refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people.

Establishment and Mandate

Founded: Established by the UN General Assembly in 1950, initially with a three-year mandate to assist Europeans displaced by World War II.
Legal Foundation: Its mandate was solidified and expanded by the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, which are the key legal documents defining the term ‘refugee’ and outlining their rights.
Core Mandate: UNHCR coordinates international efforts to protect refugees, securing their rights and well-being.
Scope of Work: The agency also protects Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and stateless persons.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
Governance: It is governed by the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Its Executive Committee (ExCom), currently comprising 108 member states, approves the High Commissioner's biennial programmes and budget.

Leadership: The High Commissioner is appointed by the UN General Assembly on the nomination of the Secretary-General.
Funding Model: UNHCR relies almost entirely on voluntary contributions.

Key Functions and Principles

Humanitarian Assistance: Provides critical life-saving aid like shelter, food, water, and medical care to displaced populations.
Protection: Safeguards the fundamental human rights of displaced and stateless people. This includes preventing sexual and gender-based violence and ensuring child protection.
Durable Solutions: It works to secure long-term solutions for refugees through:

Voluntary Repatriation: Returning to their country of origin once conditions are safe.
Local Integration: Integrating into the host community.
Resettlement: Transferring refugees from a host country to a third state that has agreed to admit them.

Principle of Non-Refoulement: Refugees should not be returned to a country where their life or freedom is seriously threatened; this is a rule of customary international law.

Awards and Recognition

Nobel Peace Prize: UNHCR has been awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize twice for its work:

1954: For its work in assisting Europe's refugees.
1981: For its assistance to refugees worldwide, highlighting the political challenges faced by the organization.

Nansen Refugee Award: Established in 1954, this award honours individuals, groups, or organizations for outstanding service to the cause of refugees, displaced, or stateless people.

It is named after Fridtjof Nansen, the first High Commissioner for Refugees for the League of Nations.
The first recipient was Eleanor Roosevelt in 1954.
The 2024 Global Laureate is Rozma Ghafouri, an Afghan refugee who founded an organization in Canada to help other refugee women.

Source: THEHINDU

Attempt Daily Quiz

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. The 'Principle of Non-refoulement', often seen in the news, is most accurately described as:

(a) Right of a refugee to seek asylum in any country of their choice.

(b) Prohibition on states from returning a refugee to a territory where their life or freedom would be threatened.

(d) Process of resettling refugees in a third country when local integration is not possible.

Answer: B

Explanation:

The Principle of Non-refoulement is a fundamental rule of international refugee law, primarily from the 1951 Refugee Convention, that forbids a state from returning a refugee to any territory where their life or freedom would be jeopardized.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The UNHCR was established in 1950, to lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people. Its core functions include providing legal protection, delivering humanitarian aid like food and shelter, and seeking durable solutions such as voluntary repatriation, local integration, or resettlement.

India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. Consequently, India lacks a formal domestic legal framework for refugees and handles refugee issues on an ad-hoc, case-by-case basis through administrative decisions.

The principle of non-refoulement, enshrined in the 1951 Convention, is the most crucial aspect of refugee law. It forbids states from expelling or returning a refugee to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened on account of their race, religion, nationality, or political opinion. It is widely considered a rule of customary international law.