Refugees

In ordinary usage, a refugee is someone forced to leave their country and seek safety abroad because of conflict, violence or persecution. The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees gives a more specific legal definition: a person outside their country of nationality, or a stateless person outside their former habitual residence, who has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion and is unable or, because of that fear, unwilling to seek that country's protection. The Convention and its 1967 Protocol are foundational international instruments for refugee protection. Regional instruments can extend the definition to circumstances such as events seriously disturbing public order, so applicable law matters; the Convention's listed grounds should not be treated as the only protection criteria used everywhere.

An asylum seeker is a person seeking international protection whose request for refugee or complementary protection status has not yet been processed, or who intends to apply. Not every asylum seeker will be recognized as a refugee. An internally displaced person (IDP), by contrast, has been forced to flee home but remains inside their own country's borders. These terms describe different situations and are not interchangeable; an individual's legal position and available protection depend on the relevant law and procedures.

Refugee status determination is a legal or administrative process through which a government or UNHCR assesses whether a person seeking protection meets the applicable refugee definition. States have primary responsibility for these decisions; UNHCR may conduct determinations under its mandate in some circumstances, including where a state is not party to the Convention or lacks a fair and efficient national asylum procedure. Under the Convention, non-refoulement is a core protection principle: refugees should not be returned to a place where they face serious threats to life or freedom. The Convention also sets standards concerning matters such as housing, work, education and access to justice, subject to its provisions and applicable law.

Humanitarian assistance can address immediate needs, but it does not by itself resolve displacement. UNHCR describes three main avenues for longer-term solutions: voluntary repatriation, when a refugee chooses to return home; local integration in a host country; and resettlement in another country. These options are not equally available to everyone, and return is a solution only when it is voluntary and safe. Their feasibility depends on personal circumstances, conditions in the countries concerned and cooperation among governments and other organizations.