Editing Refugee (section)

=== UNHCR ===
[[File:South Africa-Xenophobia-001.jpg|thumb|UNHCR tents at a refugee camp following episodes of [[Xenophobia in South Africa|xenophobic violence]] and rioting in [[South Africa]], 2008]]
Headquartered in [[Geneva]], Switzerland, the Office of the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] (UNHCR) was established on 14 December 1950.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of UNHCR |url=https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/overview/history-unhcr |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=UNHCR |language=en}}</ref> It protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the [[United Nations]] and assists in providing durable solutions, such as [[voluntary return|return]] or [[third country resettlement|resettlement]]. All refugees in the world are under UNHCR mandate except [[Palestinian refugees]], who fled the current state of [[Israel]] between 1947 and 1949, as a result of the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]]. These refugees are assisted by the [[United Nations Relief and Works Agency]] (UNRWA). UNHCR also provides protection and assistance to other categories of displaced persons: asylum seekers, refugees who [[voluntary return|returned home voluntarily]] but still need help rebuilding their lives, local civilian communities directly affected by large refugee movements, [[statelessness|stateless]] people and so-called [[internally displaced people]] (IDPs), as well as people in refugee-like and IDP-like situations. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and to resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to [[asylum seeker|seek asylum]] and find safe refuge in another state or territory and to offer "durable solutions" to refugees and refugee hosting countries.