Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [*]
Date enacted: 1950-12-14
In force: -
Content
- Chapter I - General provisions
- Chapter II - Functions of the High Commissioner
- Chapter III - Organization and finances
Chapter I - General provisions
1. |
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, acting under the authority of the General Assembly, shall assume the function of providing international protection, under the auspices of the United Nations, to refugees who fall within the scope of the present Statute and of seeking permanent solutions for the problem of refugees by assisting governments and, subject to the approval of the governments concerned, private organizations to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of such refugees, or their assimilation within new national communities. In the exercise of his functions, more particularly when difficulties arise, and for instance with regard to any controversy concerning the international status of these persons, the High Commissioner shall request the opinion of an advisory committee on refugees if it is created. |
2. |
The work of the High Commissioner shall be of an entirely nonpolitical character; it shall be humanitarian and social and shall relate, as a rule, to groups and categories of refugees. |
3. |
The High Commissioner shall follow policy directives given him by the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council. |
4. |
The Economic and Social Council may decide, after hearing the views of the High Commissioner on the subject, to establish an advisory committee on refugees, which shall consist of representatives of States Members and States non-members of the United Nations, to be selected by the Council on the basis of their demonstrated interest in and devotion to the solution of the refugee problem. |
5. |
The General Assembly shall review, not later than at its eighth regular session, the arrangements for the Office of the High Commissioner with a view to determining whether the Office should be continued beyond 31 December 1963. |
Chapter II - Functions of the High Commissioner
6. |
The competence of the High Commissioner shall extend to:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
7. |
Provided that the competence of the High Commissioner as defined in paragraph 6 above shall not extend to a person:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
8. |
The High Commissioner shall provide for the protection of refugees falling under the competence of his Office by:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
9. |
The High Commissioner shall engage in such additional activities, including repatriation and resettlement, as the General Assembly may determine, within the limits of the resources placed at his disposal. |
||||||||||||||||||||
10. |
The High Commissioner shall administer any funds, public or private, which he receives for assistance to refugees, and shall distribute them among the private and, as appropriate, public agencies which he deems best qualified to administer such assistance. The High Commissioner may reject any offers which he does not consider appropriate or which cannot be utilized. The High Commissioner shall not appeal to governments for funds or make a general appeal, without the prior approval of the General Assembly. The High Commissioner shall include in his annual report a statement of his activities in this field. |
||||||||||||||||||||
11. |
The High Commissioner shall be entitled to present his views before the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and their subsidiary bodies. The High Commissioner shall report annually to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council; his report shall be considered as a separate item on the agenda of the General Assembly. |
||||||||||||||||||||
12. |
The High Commissioner may invite the co-operation of the various specialized agencies. |
Chapter III - Organization and finances
13. |
The High Commissioner shall be elected by the General Assembly on the nomination of the Secretary-General. The terms of appointment of the High Commissioner shall be proposed by the Secretary-General and approved by the General Assembly. The High Commissioner shall be elected for a term of three years, from I January 1951. |
||||||||
14. |
The High Commissioner shall appoint, for the same term, a Deputy High Commissioner of a nationality other than his own. |
||||||||
15. |
|
||||||||
16. |
The High Commissioner shall consult the governments of the countries of residence of refugees as to the need for appointing representatives therein. In any country recognizing such need, there may be appointed a representative approved by the government of that country. Subject to the foregoing, the same representative may serve in more than one country. |
||||||||
17. |
The High Commissioner and the Secretary-General shall make appropriate arrangements for liaison and consultation on matters of mutual interest. |
||||||||
18. |
The Secretary-General shall provide the High Commissioner with all necessary facilities within budgetary limitations. |
||||||||
19. |
The Office of the High Commissioner shall be located in Geneva, Switzerland. |
||||||||
20. |
The Office of the High Commissioner shall be financed under the budget of the United Nations. Unless the General Assembly subsequently decides otherwise, no expenditure, other than administrative expenditures relating to the functioning of the Office of the High Commissioner, shall be borne on the budget of the United Nations, and all other expenditures relating to the activities of the High Commissioner shall be financed by voluntary contributions. |
||||||||
21. |
The administration of the Office of the High Commissioner shall be subject to the Financial Regulations of the United Nations and to the financial rules promulgated thereunder by the Secretary-General. |
||||||||
22. |
Transactions relating to the High Commissioner's funds shall be subject to audit by the United Nations Board of Auditors, provided that the Board may accept audited accounts from the agencies to which funds have been allocated. Administrative arrangements for the custody of such funds and their allocation shall be agreed between the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General in accordance with the Financial Regulations of the United Nations and rules promulgated thereunder by the Secretary-General. |
[*] |
Adopted by the UN General Assembly Resolution 428 (V). |