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Basic principles of the protection
of refugees
and the UNHCR’s role
UNHCR Yerevan, Armenia

Date: 13 March 2014
UNHCR Global Figures
By end 2012, 45.2 million people were forcibly displaced

worldwide:
• 15.4 million people were refugees: 10.5 million under
UNHCR’s mandate;
• 28.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs);
• nearly one million (937,000) asylum-seekers.
The 2012 level was the highest since 1994, when an
estimated 47 million people were forcibly displaced
worldwide.
By mid-2013, the total population of concern to UNHCR
stood at 38.7 million
2
UNHCR
• UNHCR’s work is
humanitarian and non-political
in character.
• UNHCR has two core
mandate functions:
- provide international protection
to refugees;
- seek durable solutions to their
problems (voluntary repatriation;
local integration; resettlement).
Supervision of implementation of international

instruments protecting refugees
3
UNHCR Role
States are responsible for refugee on their territory
UNHCR
• INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OF REFUGEES
• Durable solution to refugee problems
• Assistance to the Government
• Receive relevant and updated statistical and other
information
UNHCR staff should have

unimpeded access
to asylum-seekers and asylum applications
4
Refugees
• The evolution of a legal concept.
• Today UNHCR’s competence with regard to refugees extends

to main two legal categories of persons:
• Refugees in accordance to the criteria set out in the

1950 Statute and in the 1951 Convention Related to
the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.
• Refugees within the meaning of UNHCR’s broader

international protection mandate.
• The term Mandate Refugee covers women, men, girls and

boys who have been recognized as refugees by UNHCR.
5
Refugee Definition:
According to Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Refugee

Convention, a refugee is a person who:
"…owing to 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 nationality and is unable or,
owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of
the protection of that country; or who, not having a
nationality and being outside the country of his former
habitual residence [...], is unable or, owing to such
fear, is unwilling to return to it."
6
Access to territory and asylum
Asylum Application
 clearly expressed desire to seek
asylum or
 clear expression of unwillingness to
be returned.
ANY APPLICATION, which has been submitted orally, in
the written form, or by use of body language or other
methods of communication and expresses desire to SEEK
PROTECTION 7
Non-refoulement
Prohibition of expulsion or return (refoulement)

• Article 33 of the 1951 Convention
No Contracting State shall expel or return
(“refouler”) a refugee in any manner whatsoever to
the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom
would be threatened on account of his race,
religion, nationality, membership of a particular
social group or political opinion.
8
Non-refoulement
• ABSOLUTE BAN to expel a person to a country,

where she/he will face torture or other inhuman and
digrading treatment or punishment;
• Customary Law Principle – all countries shall respect;
• Expulsion is an extremely serious measure, which

should be use in exceptional cases as a danger to the
security of the country or having been convicted by a
final judgment of a particularly serious crime, which
constitutes a danger to the community of that country;
9
Non-refoulement
• Protection should be provided to ALL

refugees without discrimination;
• An asylum-seeker should have access to the

territory and asylum procedures, otherwise it
is violation of non-refoulement principle
• TIMEFRAME: from asylum application

submission to its final decision
10
Confidentiality
The most IMPORTANT aspect

• The requested State should refrain from revealing any
information to a refugee’s or asylum-seeker’s country of
origin about the status of the wanted person as a
refugee or asylum-seeker.
• Disclosure may result in a breach of the refugee or

asylum-seeker’s right to privacy, and may put the person
at risk.
11
NON-PENALIZATION OF ASYLUM-SEEKERS
• Art. 31 para 1 of the 1951 Convention

- presentation without delay
- “coming directly” from country of persecution
- transit through country where no protection
could be found
- provision reflects general principle of law that
violation of minor obligation can be justified in order
to protect higher values, such as the right to life and
freedom
• In Georgia see also: Criminal Code, note to
the Article 344
12
PROTECTION PERSONS WITH SPECIFIC NEEDS
• Protection must be extended to all refugees

without discrimination
• Minimum standards of treatment by host

country and obligations by refugees towards host
country
13
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS
Effect of traumatic experiences:

• Fears to talk to state authorities due to past
experiences;
• Refuse to talk about past experiences due to
feeling of helplessness;
• Fears of reprisal of trafficker/smuggler;
• Lack of awareness of the rights and duties;
• Incoherence due to fatigue or poor command of
language;
• Serious memory gaps due to post-traumatic stress
disorder.
14
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Basic principles of the protection

UNHCR Yerevan, Armenia

By end 2012, 45.2 million people were forcibly displaced

Supervision of implementation of international

States are responsible for refugee on their territory

UNHCR staff should have

• The evolution of a legal concept.

• Today UNHCR’s competence with regard to refugees extends

• Refugees in accordance to the criteria set out in the

• Refugees within the meaning of UNHCR’s broader

• The term Mandate Refugee covers women, men, girls and

According to Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Refugee

Prohibition of expulsion or return (refoulement)

• ABSOLUTE BAN to expel a person to a country,

• Customary Law Principle – all countries shall respect;

• Expulsion is an extremely serious measure, which

• Protection should be provided to ALL

• An asylum-seeker should have access to the

• TIMEFRAME: from asylum application

The most IMPORTANT aspect

• Disclosure may result in a breach of the refugee or

• Art. 31 para 1 of the 1951 Convention

• Protection must be extended to all refugees

• Minimum standards of treatment by host

Effect of traumatic experiences:

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