**Historical Evolution of the Term Refugee**:
– The term ‘refugee’ originated from Old French and Latin words, initially applied to French Huguenots in the 16th century.
– Over time, the definition expanded to include civilians fleeing World War I in 1916.
– Various groups like Huguenots, Jews, and Muslims have historically been displaced due to persecution or conflicts.
– The concept of seeking sanctuary dates back to ancient civilizations, with formal definitions established by the League of Nations in 1921 and the UN in 1951.
**Legal Framework and Definitions**:
– The 1951 UN Convention and 1967 Protocol define a refugee as someone with a well-founded fear of persecution based on specific grounds.
– Different regions have adopted broader definitions of refugees based on unique circumstances.
– Laws globally protect displaced persons beyond the narrow refugee definition.
– The EU and UNHCR provide legal and physical protection to refugees, ensuring their rights and well-being.
**Refugee Agencies and Organizations**:
– The UNHCR, established in 1950, protects and supports refugees globally, providing camps, aid, and durable solutions.
– UNRWA focuses specifically on Palestinian refugees, offering assistance, education, and healthcare in various regions.
– These agencies work towards humanitarian assistance, development, and protection of refugees in different parts of the world.
**Refugee Resettlement and Integration**:
– Refugee resettlement, relocation, and settlement involve organized transfers, basic adjustment, and long-term integration into receiving societies.
– Workforce integration ensures refugees engage in economic activities matching their qualifications.
– Durable solutions like repatriation, local integration, and third-country resettlement aim to provide refugees with safe and stable environments for rebuilding their lives.
**Refugee Rights and Protections**:
– Refugee rights encompass legal protections, entitlements, and obligations outlined in international agreements and legal frameworks.
– Rights to employment, family reunification, travel, and property restoration are crucial for refugees.
– Refugee status determination, asylum seeking processes, and the right of return are key aspects of ensuring refugees’ well-being and rights are upheld.
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a person who has lost the protection of their country of origin and who cannot or is unwilling to return there due to well-founded fear of persecution. Such a person may be called an asylum seeker until granted refugee status by the contracting state or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) if they formally make a claim for asylum.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 35.3 million (29.6 million under the mandate of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and 5.9 million under UNRWA's mandate | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 7.0 million |
| Europe and North Asia | 12.4 million |
| Asia and the Pacific | 6.8 million |
| Middle East and North Africa | 2.4 million |
| Americas | 800,000 |
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