The Convention relating to the Status of Refugees adopted on 14 December 1950 and its 1967 Additional Protocol establish the legal framework for the protection of refugees. The United Nations' Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement identify the rights and guarantees relevant to the protection of internally displaced persons and provide a framework consistent with international human rights law, humanitarian law and refugee law. Refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) or returnees often lack traditional protection coping mechanisms, and are inherently mobile and hence especially vulnerable to the consequences of land mines, explosive remnants of war (ERW) and cluster munitions. Apart from the real and imminent threat of harm, the presence of these weapons restricts free movement and consequently seriously risks limiting access to basic means of survival, including water and food, farmland, and medical services. For refugees who opt to return home, land mines, ERW and cluster munitions continue to pose serious restrictions on the returnees' ability to re-establish themselves and render their reintegration process sustainable.
These challenges are at the forefront of many of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) protection programmes extant today. In close cooperation with its operational partners, UNHCR is committeed to mine action advocacy and ensuring that harm to refugees, IDP's and returnees is reduced.
For more information visit UNHCR's website
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees
Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement