UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. UNHCR has operations in more than 137 countries and territories.
For decades, UNHCR has faced crises in many countries. Its work focuses on ensuring that anyone forced to flee violence, persecution, war, or disaster has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge.
The 1951 Refugee Convention is the key legal document that guides UNHCR’s work. Ratified by 145 State parties, including Canada, it defines who is considered a refugee, outlines their rights, and sets out the legal obligations of States to protect them.