Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR)

Chanelle Taoi

Associate Legal Officer

Canberra Girls’ Grammar School

2 September 2013

UNHCR’s RoleUNHCR’s Role

UNHCR’s role (mandate) is to:

protect refugees; and

seek solutions for refugees.

1951 Refugee Convention1951 Refugee Convention

Defines the term “refugee”.

Provides for minimum standards of treatment of refugees.

Not sending people back into danger.

Who is a refugee?Who is a refugee?

Any 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.

Asylum-seekers

Returnees

Other people UNHCR helpsOther people UNHCR helps

Stateless persons

Internally Displaced Persons

Average number of newly displaced persons

Refugees and IDPs assisted by UNHCR

Top 10 refugee hosting countries

Top 10 source countries of refugees

Where does UNHCR work?Where does UNHCR work?

What we do: legal protectionWhat we do: legal protection

Registering asylum-seekers.

Determining refugee claims.

Working with governments & communities.

What we do: physical protectionWhat we do: physical protection

Shelter

Health care

Education

Water

Food

What we do: helping childrenWhat we do: helping children

Half of displaced people are children.

UNHCR’s priorities for children: Family unity Preventing

exploitation & violence

Preventing military recruitment

Education Helping adolescents

Faces of the children UNHCR helpFaces of the children UNHCR help

What we do: long-term solutions

Voluntary Repatriation

Local Integration

Resettlement

UNHCR’s Regional Office in CanberraUNHCR’s Regional Office in Canberra

Thank youThank you

www.unhcr.org.auaulca@unhcr.org

(02) 6260 3411 Facebook/Twitter:

UNHCRCanberra