UNHCR Logo
  • Do you need help?
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
UNHCR Logo
  • Search
  • Iran
  • Menu

Select a Language for this section

English فارسی

Select a Language for our global site:

English Français Español عربي
Select a country site:
  • Do you need help?
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Media Centre

Share

Facebook Twitter
  • about us
    • UNHCR and UN agencies in Iran
    • Figures at a Glance
    • Refugees in Iran
    • Partners and Donors
    • Publications
    • Nansen Refugee Award
  • what we do
    • Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR)
    • Afghanistan emergency
    • Education
    • Health
    • Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion
    • Cash-Based Interventions
    • Ending Statelessness
    • Resettlement
    • Voluntary Repatriation
    • Community-Based Interventions
    • Legal Support
    • Capacity Building
    • COVID-19 Response
  • Where We Work
    • Tehran
    • Esfahan
    • Mashhad
    • Dogharoun
    • Kerman
    • Shiraz
  • News and Stories
    • News
    • Stories
  • Get Involved
    • World Refugee Day
    • Refugee Poetry Contest
    • Youth with Refugees Art Contest
  • INFORMATION FOR REFUGEES
    • Official Announcements
    • Health Insurance for Refugees
    • Reporting Fraud and Corruption
  • Contact Us
    • Media Enquiries
    • Contact UNHCR in Iran
Search UNHCR
Close Search
 
  • Home

UNHCR urges states to protect refugees’ rights, not to instrumentalize their plight

2 August 2021

© UNHCR/Roger Arnold

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is increasingly concerned by the instrumentalization of refugees and migrants by states apparently to achieve political ends.

People are not, and should never be, pawns in geopolitical games.

When states encourage population outflows to neighboring countries, they create grave risks and compound the trauma and suffering of people fleeing. It drives risky onward movements, exposes people to potential exploitation, and can overwhelm reception capacities in other states.

The reported increase in this trend—in Europe and elsewhere—is deeply concerning.  

The right of every individual to access territory and seek asylum is a cornerstone of refugee law.

UNHCR appeals to all states to look beyond narrow political interests, assess the validity of asylum claims through fair and efficient procedures upon arrival, and extend meaningful protection to all those in need.

This fundamental responsibility to protect may be shared among states in a spirit of solidarity, but it should never be unilaterally transferred, outsourced, or manipulated for political ends.

END 

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

 

  • About Us

© UNHCR 2001-2022

  • UNHCR Iran – No. 3, East Emdad Street, Shiraz Ave., Vanak, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
  • Fax: (+98-21) 89349900
  • Reception Tel (Tehran): (+98-21) 88212520
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Reception Tel (Other Cities)
  • Privacy Notice
  • Email (for refugees): [email protected]
  • Terms and Conditions of use
  • Office Tel: (+98-21) 42939
  • Follow