UNHCR

Dr. V. Vijayakumar
Part – II - UNHCR
B.A.LL.B (Hons) – Electives
Refugee Law, 2019
NLIU
Establishment of UNHCR
TheUnited Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees was
established by the UN General
Assembly Resolution 428 (V) of 14
December 1950 based on an earlier
Resolution 319 (IV) of December 3,
1949 in which the decision to establish
such UNHCR was taken by the General
Assembly
The Statute of the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees was adopted as
Annexure to the G.A Resolution
428 (V)

The High Commissioner reports

annually to the General Assembly
through the ECOSOC and it is
treated as an independent agenda
by the General Assembly
An Advisory Committee on Refugees
was established by the ECOSOC in
accordance with para 4 of the Statute

The same was reconstituted as the

UN Refugee Fund (UNRF) Executive
Committee in 1955

This was subsequently replaced by

the Executive Committee of the High
Commissioner’s Programme in 1958
Executive Committee of the High
Commissioner’s Programme,
(EXCOM) consists of members who
are parties to the CSR1951 as well
as states that are not parties to the
CSR 1951 on the basis of their
contribution to the refugee
protection

It has 94 members so far including

India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
TheEXCOM is the highest policy
making body of the UNHCR

The guidelines and other policies

adopted by the EXCOM on specific
issues become the ‘soft law’ and
is generally used by states that
are parties to the CSR 1951 in
their interpretation of domestic
laws and practices relating to
refugee protection and finding
durable solutions
The UNHCR was established for a
period of three years in the
beginning, but from 1953 onwards
[GA Resolution of 727 (VIII) of 23
October 1953], the life of UNHCR is
extended by five year duration

The UNHCR’s office is given certain

specific functions in the overall
protection of refugees and other
similarly situated people
 Status and functions of UNHCR

a. Providing international protection under the

auspices of the UN to refugees who fall with
in the scope of this statute (of 1950)

b. Seeking permanent solutions for the problems

of refugees by assisting various Governments

c. Co-ordinate with private organizations to find

durable solutions (Art. 1)
d. The work of the H.C shall be
entirely ‘Non-Political’ in
character

e. The work of the High

Commissioner shall be
humanitarian and social

f. As a rule the work of H.C shall

be to ‘groups and categories’ of
refugees (Art. 2)
g. High Commissioner to
follow the directives of the
General Assembly or the
ECOSOC (Art.3)

h. General Assembly to extend

its life periodically (Art.5)

i. Competence of the High

Commissioner (Arts. 6 & 7)
j. High Commissioner to promote
ratification of CSR 1951, promote
special agreements with
Governments to improve the
conditions of refugees as well as
reduction of those who need
protection

k. Assisting Governments for finding

durable solutions, ascertaining the
numbers of refugees and transfer
of assets (Art. 8)
l. Additional activities including
repatriation and resettlement under
the directions of the General
Assembly (Art. 9)

m. To raise and manage the funds

effectively (Art. 10)

n. Submit annual report to the

General Assembly through the
ECOSOC (Art. 11)
o. Seek co-operation from other
specialised agencies of the UN [WFP,
UNDP, OCHA and the like (Art. 12)]

p. Head quarters in Geneva

q. Shall receive only administrative

expenses from the General Assembly
(Art.20)

r. Audit (Art. 22)

The number of refugees of concern to UNHCR stood at 21.3
million refugees at the END OF of 2015, 10 MILION STATELESS
AND 65.3 MILLION FORCIBLY DISPLACED PEOPLE WORLD
WIDE
 Filippo Grandi
the 11th High Commissioner for Refugees 
He was elected by the UN General Assembly on
1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020
From 2010 to 2014, he served as
Commissioner-General of UNRWA
An elderly woman in Nyarugusu camp in Western Tanzania, home to
150,000 Burundian and Congolese refugees, said that she had nothing left to
live for. I told her she must not lose courage, but instead teach the young
generation how to stay strong in adversity.
68.5 m Forcibly displaced worldwide
40.0 m Internally Displaced People
25.4 m Refugees
03.1 m Asylum seekers
85% of the world’s displaced people are in
developing countries
57% of refugees come from 3 countries -
South Sudan, Afghanistan and Syria
Turkey (3.5 m); Uganda and Pakistan
(1.4 m each); and Lebanon (1.0 m)

Figures at a Glance - 2018