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UNHCR Archive Gallery Eligibility

Archives, 12 June 2009

Under international agreements (such as the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees) or national legislation, certain categories of refugees are entitled to a specific legal status. In order to determine whether a person is entitled to that status, it must first be determined whether he/she is a refugee in the meaning of the instrument concerned (i.e., whether he/she fulfils the conditions set out in the definition of a "refugee" in that instrument). For this, the term "eligibility" is used.

Eligibility determination is a legal process which takes place in two stages: (1) the ascertaining of the relevant facts of the individual case, and (2) the application of the relevant definition to the facts ascertained, which may entail interpretation of the definitions.

The determination of eligibility for the purposes of the Statute of the Office of the High Commissioner in order to determine whether a person or group of persons qualifies for a specific service by the High Commissioner (be it international protection or material assistance) is the prerogative of the High Commissioner, subject to directives of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Memorandum by the High Commissioner on certain problems relating to the eligibility of refugees, 15 November 1951^1/
1/ UNHCR Archives Fonds 12 Executive Committee

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The State of the World's Refugees

These five editions of UNHCR's The State of the World's Refugees provide detailed, in-depth analysis of the plight of the world's millions of displaced people. The authors examine the major crises and challenges faced by UNHCR for over fifty years.

Teaching About Refugees, History

History includes refugees

Throughout history, political turmoil has victimized many civilian families, forcing them to flee their homes. Refugee outflows and other massive displacements of people are a key aspect of many international crises. For children, in particular, looking at world events from the point of view of a refugee family can give new meaning and a sense of reality to events that may otherwise seem abstract and far away. The theme can be introduced in:

Medieval/early modern history: The religious wars.

Contemporary history: World War I, the Russian Revolution, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Second World War and Nazism, colonization and decolonization in Africa, Soviet influence in Central and Eastern Europe, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Vietnam War, the dictatorships in Latin-America - all these events and many more have victimized millions of people and forced them to flee their homes, families and communities.

9-11 year olds	Refugees in History Unit Plan Lesson Plans Lesson 1: Why do people move to another country? Lessons 2 and 3: What do you see in your mind? Lesson 4: Blackboard summary of reasons for flight Lesson 5: Asylum
12-14 year olds	The Rwandan Crisis 1994 Unit Plan Lesson Plans Lessons 1 and 2: How did the Rwandan crisis start? Lesson 3: The 'G' word Lessons 4 and 5: Going back home
15-18 year olds	Population Displacement in the Commonwealth of Independent States Unit Plan Lesson Plans Lesson 1: Where do people go when they are forced to move? Lessons 2 and 3: Migration within the CIS Lesson 4: Multi-ethnicity Lessons 5 and 6: Case study - Tajikistan

History

Studying history can provide an opportunity to examine refugee outflows and displacement.

List of UNHCR Headquarters Fonds

Hungarian Crisis - 50th Anniversary

The spontaneous Hungarian uprising began on 23 October 1956. Two weeks later, the revolution was crushed by a Soviet military intervention, and by early 1957, 200,000 people had fled as refugees - 180,000 to Austria and 20,000 to Yugoslavia.

Hundreds of volunteers worked alongside international and local aid organizations to provide shelter and food, as the Austrians and the international community provided the refugees with an unprecedented level of support.

UNHCR was made 'Lead Agency' and, along with the Red Cross and ICEM, helped coordinate protection, assistance and a quite extraordinary resettlement programme.

Within two years, more than 180,000 Hungarians were resettled to 37 countries spanning five continents. The US, Canada, the UK, West Germany, Australia, Switzerland, France, Sweden and Belgium each accepted more than 5,000 refugees. Italy, the Netherlands, Israel, Brazil, Norway, Denmark, South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina all took over 1,000. The rest were spread around a further 19 countries ranging from the Dominican Republic to Turkey. Some Hungarians were integrated in Austria (8,000) and Yugoslavia (700), while 11,000 returned home voluntarily.

More in Refugees Magazine Issue N° 144: Where Are They Now? The Hungarian Refugees, 50 Years On (published October 2006) here

Hungarian Crisis - 50th Anniversary

A Place to Call Home(Part 2): 1996 - 2003

This gallery highlights the history of UNHCR's efforts to help some of the world's most disenfranchised people to find a place called home, whether through repatriation, resettlement or local integration.

After decades of hospitality after World War II, as the global political climate changed and the number of people cared for by UNHCR swelled from around one million in 1951, to more than 27 million people in the mid-1990s, the welcome mat for refugees was largely withdrawn.

Voluntary repatriation has become both the preferred and only practical solution for today's refugees. In fact, the great majority of them choose to return to their former homes, though for those who cannot do so for various reasons, resettlement in countries like the United States and Australia, and local integration within regions where they first sought asylum, remain important options.

This gallery sees Rwandans returning home after the 1994 genocide; returnees to Kosovo receiving reintegration assistance; Guatemalans obtaining land titles in Mexico; and Afghans flocking home in 2003 after decades in exile.

A Place to Call Home(Part 2): 1996 - 2003

A Place to Call Home (Part 1): 1953 - 1995

Based on the 2004 World Refugee Day theme, "A place to call home: Rebuilding lives in safety and dignity", this two-part gallery highlights the history of UNHCR's efforts to help some of the world's most disenfranchised people to find a place called home, whether through repatriation, resettlement or local integration.

In more than a half century of humanitarian work, the UN refugee agency has helped more than 50 million uprooted people across the globe to successfully restart their lives.

Following the end of World War II and in the prevailing climate of the Cold War, many refugees, including those fleeing Soviet-dominated countries or the aftermath of the conflict in Indo China, were welcomed by the countries to which they initially fled or resettled in states even further afield.

In Part 1 of the gallery, a family restarts its life in New Zealand in the 1950s after years in a German camp; Vietnamese children make their first snowman in Sweden; while two sisters rebuild their home after returning to post-war Mozambique in the early 1990s.