On this page there are answers to some frequently asked questions about relief to development work.
A refugee is someone who has a well founded fear of
persecution because of his/her:
and is unable or unwilling to avail him/herself of the
protection of that country , or to return there, for fear of persecution.
The UNHCR's mandate under it's statute is to pursue protection, assistance and solutions for refugees. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness and to help prevent statelessness by providing to states technical and advisory services on nationality legislation and practice.
An organized entity that is functionally independent
of a government or state. This term is normally applied to organizations devoted
to humanitarian and human right causes, many of which implement their refugee-related
programs in partnership with UNHCR and other agencies.
(source: Protecting refugees - a field guide for
NGO's by UNHCR 1999)