|
What
is Legal Protection?
UNHCR London Legal Protection Unit
Who are we?
Contact Us
Internship Programme
Quality Initiative Project
What is Legal Protection?
The
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (‘UNHCR’)
was established on 14th December 1950 by the United Nations General
Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international
action to protect refugees and 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 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.
International
protection of refugees is the core mandate of UNHCR, the basis for
which is set out in UNHCR’s
Statute and the 1951
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. UNHCR works to
ensure that refugees are not returned to a place where they would
face persecution, that their basic rights are respected and that
long-term solutions for displaced people are identified. For more
general information about UNHCR and its activities world-wide, please
click here.
UNHCR London
The nature of UNHCR’s protection work varies from office to
office, depending on the country-specific situation and protection
concerns. In the UK, the role of the legal protection unit is that
of an advisor and monitor. It provides advice and positions
on refugee and asylum law and policy to the government, legal practitioners,
non-governmental organisations and many others. Where appropriate
UNHCR London takes up cases and raises issues of concern with our
counterparts in the UK Government. It intervenes in court
proceedings, which are precedent-setting for the international
protection of refugees generally. It also provides training on a
range of issues to those working with asylum seekers and refugees.
For
more information on how UNHCR London can help in the UK, click here.
Who Are We?
The legal protection unit is a small team of lawyers supported by
a dedicated team of highly qualified Legal Interns. For further
information on the UNHCR legal protection internship programme click
here.
Contact Us
The Office is open 9am – 5.30pm, Monday to Thursday, and 9am
– 3pm on Friday.
UNHCR
London’s general contact
details.
Members
of the Legal Protection Unit can be contacted by telephone through
the switchboard (020 7828 9191). The Unit’s telephone lines
are open between 9am and 1pm. All messages are monitored during
the afternoon and urgent calls will continue to be taken by the
Switchboard.
UNHCR
London can be also contacted at any time via email on gbrlo@unhcr.org
or fax on 020 7630 5349.
For
enquiries about individual cases, write to us providing a covering
letter which very clearly sets out a summary of the relevant facts
and the nature of your enquiry (and why you are directing this to
UNHCR). Please note that UNHCR London can deal only with individual
queries which raise an issue of great importance and are precedent-setting,
such as Immigration Tribunal 'country guideline' cases, or cases
at higher courts relating to important principles of refugee law,
or queries to which UNHCR is uniquely able to respond.
UNHCR
London emphasises the importance that you send your query with as
much notice as possible, preferably at least 3 weeks before a response
is required.
Legal Protection Internship Programme
The work of UNHCR's Legal Protection Unit internship programme is
an invaluable opportunity to gain first-hand experience with the
United Nation's unique refugee agency, while contributing to the
protection of asylum seekers and refugees. UNHCR London looks for
talented graduates with a legal background and a commitment to refugee
issues. Further
information.
Quality Initiative Project
In line with UNHCR’s supervisory role (as set out in Article 35 of the 1951 Convention), the previous UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers, during his visit to the UK in October 2003, offered UNHCR’s expertise to work with the Home Office on improving further the quality of first instance decision-making. Following this offer, and further discussions with the Home Office exploring how best to structure and implement a UNHCR contribution to UK first instance decision-making, the Quality Initiative project was established.
UNHCR hopes that the Quality Initiative project will have a positive influence on asylum procedures and first instance decision-making. UNHCR’s role in this regard is, without prejudice to other initiatives, aimed at further raising standards in first instance procedures and UNHCR’s contribution aims to be complementary to other mechanisms that ensure due process and fairness in asylum procedures.
Four reports setting out UNHCR’s findings and detailing recommendations have been supplied to the Minister for Nationality, Immigration and Citizenship on a confidential basis to date. These findings have highlighted a number of causes for concern, focusing in particular on the application of the refugee definition, the approach to establishing the facts (‘credibility’) and the conduct of interviews. The recommendations made in UNHCR’s reports have covered recruitment, training & accreditation, identification and management of stress, interviews, use of interpreters, provision of COI and guidance, targets, assessment and monitoring of decisions and interviews.
The reports have been welcomed by the Minister and the majority of UNHCR’s recommendations have been accepted.
UNHCR continues to work with the Border and Immigration Agency on the implementation of its recommendations, and related initiative to improve the quality of first instance decision making.
The Minister has published all of UNHCR’s reports on the Quality Initiative to date.
For more information about the Quality Initiative Project please contact us
|
