Committee

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated by the United Nations to lead and coordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. UNHCRʼs primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. In its efforts to achieve this objective, UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum find safe refuge in another State, and return home voluntarily. By assisting refugees to return to their own country or to settle permanently in another country, UNHCR also seeks lasting solutions to their plight.

 UNHCRʼs efforts are mandated by the organization Statute and guided by the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. International refugee law provides an essential framework of principles for UNHCRʼs humanitarian activities. In support of its core activities on behalf of refugees, UNHCRʼs Executive Committee and the UN General Assembly have authorized the organization's involvement with other groups. These include former refugees who have returned to their homeland; internally displaced people; and people who are stateless or whose nationality is disputed. UNHCR seeks to reduce situations of forced displacement by encouraging states and other institutions to create conditions that are conducive to the protection of human rights and the peaceful resolution of disputes. In pursuit of the same objective, UNHCR actively seeks to consolidate the reintegration of returning refugees in their country of origin, thereby averting the recurrence of refugee-producing situations.

 Topics

> Topic A - Ensuring the Safety of Asylum Seekers

> Topic B -  Protecting Refugee Children