UNHCR – The UN Refugee agency : The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve their problems worldwide. On the following year on July 28th, the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the legal foundation of helping refugees and the basic statute guiding UNHCR’s work, was adopted.
The primary purpose of UNHCR is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. The agency also has a mandate to help stateless people.
In an effort to to protect refugees and to promote solutions to their problems, UNHCR seeks to reduce situations of forced displacement by encouraging states and other institutions to create conditions which are conducive to the protection of human rights and the peaceful resolution of disputes. UNHCR works in partnership with governments, regional organizations, international and non-governmental organizations to achieve these objectives.
UNHCR is an impartial organization, offering protection and assistance to refugees and others on the basis of their needs and irrespective of their race, religion, political opinion or gender. In all of its activities, UNHCR pays particular attention to the needs of children and seeks to promote the equal rights of women and girls.
Since 1950, UNHCR has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of more than 10,900 people in 130 countries continues to help and protect millions of refugees, returnees, internally displaced and stateless people.
UNHCR in Hong Kong
The UNHCR Sub-Office Hong Kong (“SOHK”) reports to the Office in Beijing and covers both the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions.
Established in 1979 to cope with the influx of Vietnamese boat people, SOHK’s mission evolved to include anyone seeking asylum in the HKSAR.
Because Hong Kong is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and has no legal framework governing the granting of asylum, UNHCR has traditionally been responsible for RSD and for providing assistance to asylum-seekers and refugees.
Following a landmark court decision, the Hong Kong government introduced the Unified Screening Mechanism (USM) to screen non-refoulement, or protection, claims on 3 March 2014.
Since then, UNHCR is no longer involved in direct RSD in the territory, playing instead an advisory and capacity building role.
Despite this change, there are no plans to close SOHK, which continues to promote the cause of refugees and provide the legal and physical protection support needed to safeguard their rights throughout the asylum process and beyond. Currently, SOHK focuses on three key areas: Protection, Durable Solutions and Fundraising (Private Sector Partnerships).
