Agenda
The UN refugee agency is mandated to help, protect and resolve worldwide refugee problems. This should be executed by coordinating between states. The intention is to protect refugees within broader migration movements.
Central feature
The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, with just one “amending” and updating protocol adopted in 1967, is the central feature in today’s international regime of refugee protection. The Convention, which entered into force in 1954, is by far the most widely ratified refugee treaty, and remains central also to the protection activities of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Organizational Structure
Unites Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees
The highest institution of the UNHCR is the High Commissioner. The High Commissioner is the one in charge of the Ethics Office and also the responsibility of policy development and evaluation services lies here. Right below the High Commissioner are the Deputy High Commissioner, which implies the Ombudsman’s Office, and two Assistant High Commissioners who manage their individual sections of divisions.
A chart of the organizational structure of the UNHCR will be found in the hyperlink below, this will possibly be more intuitive and simple.
Bureaucratic Culture
Leadership in UNHCR includes legal, diplomatic, programmatic and public relations functions, which all depend on possession of information that is usually held by the organisation itself. Furthermore, the internal structure and governance of an international bureaucracy cannot be understood in isolation from its external environment. Over time, UNHCR’s organisational structure has evolved as it has expanded its activities, which has affected the general policy lines of the organisation.
History
Origin
The UN refugee agency emerged in the wake of World War II to help Europeans displaced by that conflict. Optimistically, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established in 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly with a three-year mandate to complete its work and then disband.
The following year the legal foundation of helping refugees and the basic statute guiding UNHCR's work was adopted.
The 21st Century
The start of the 21st Century has seen UNHCR helping with major refugee crises in Africa. At the same time, UNHCR has been asked to use its expertise to also help many internally displaced by conflict.
Less visibly, UNHCR has expanded its role in helping stateless people. In some parts of the world, such as Africa and Latin America, the original 1951 mandate has been strengthened by agreement on regional legal instruments.
Recently
Lately the escalation of the conflict in Syria has had UNCHR’s attention. In February 2013 the High Commissioner warned that a moment of truth was approaching in Syria and that the international community cannot allow the situation to deteriorate further.
Budget
Budget for Refugee Assistance
The budget of UNHCR has grown from US$300,000 in its first year to more than US$3.59 billion in 2012.
UNHCR is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions, with 93 percent coming from governments. A further 4 percent comes from inter-governmental organizations and pooled funding mechanisms, while the remaining 3 percent is from the private sector, including foundations, corporations and the general public.
Key Policies
The Region of Origin Initiative
The initiative aims specifically to link its activities to broader national/international humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in recognition that ROI is only one of many parts of the efforts to achieve durable solutions and recovery. The initiative gives priority to areas of high vulnerability; areas where the capacity to absorb IDPs or refugees is very low; areas/countries coming out of conflict; and areas affected by mixed migratory movements.
Resettlement
The Communication’s list of activities confirms the interest of the Commission and the Council in resettlement to the EU. UNHCR welcomes the commitment to a joint EU resettlement programme, as expressed in the Council Conclusions of November 2004. UNHCR supports the provision of resources for this purpose, and hopes Member States will see this as an additional reason to undertake new or expanded resettlement activities.
Prospects
Future Prospects
In UNHCR’s “Global Strategic Priorities 2012-2013” there are seven items including for example;
Ensuring access to territorial protection and asylum procedures; protection against refoulement; and the adoption of nationality laws that prevent and/or reduce statelessness. And also securing birth registration, profiling and individual documentation based on registration. The last item is; Facilitating durable solutions - which is an overall item through all of UNHCR’s world.
Transition to Globalisation
U.N. Deadlock on Addressing Climate Shift
Efforts have been made to make the Security Council to securitize climate change. While western powers are pressing for the issue to be adopted on the UNSC, Russia and China, backed by much of the developing world, rejected the notion that the issue even belonged on the UNSC agenda. The main argument against securitizing climate change is that other UN bodies are more proper to address the issue and not the Security Council.
Globalisation > Environment > Climate
Transition to Political Tools
UN-EU-AU Coordination in Peace Operations in Africa
The UN-AU relationship is based on the Framework for the Ten-Year Capacity Building for the African Union that was agreed by the UN member states. The Declaration reflects the common commitment of the UN and the AU to maintain peace and human security, promote human rights and post-conflict reconstruction. It outlines strategic priorities and provides a holistic framework for UN system-wide support to the capacity-building efforts of the AU.
Political Tools > Regional > Africa > AU > Ext. Policies > Security
Transition to Political Actors
NGO Perspectives: NGOs and the Security Council
While the UNSC is the most powerful body of the United Nations, for decades it has been strongly criticized for working behind closed doors. NGOs have raised questions regarding the transparency of the UNSC’s work, asserting their interest and expertise as relevant to the UNSC and its efforts
Political Actors > NGO > Conflict
