DE|FR|IT|EN

news en

70 years UNHCR

(crédit : © UNHCR/B. Bizot) : Depuis 70 ans, le HCR protège et porte assistance à toute personne victime de déplacements forcés, notamment les déplacés internes. Comme ici, en 1996, en Bosnie-Herzégovine.

(crédit : © UNHCR/Hélène Caux) : Comme des centaines de milliers de civils, ces enfants photographiés en 2004 ont fui la guerre du Darfour et se sont retrouvés dans un camps de réfugiés.

(crédit : © UNHCR/Szabo) : Après avoir fui son pays, ce jeune réfugié hongrois a reçu l’assistance du HCR et a pu envisager une nouvelle vie en Autriche en 1958.

UNHCR and the 1951 Refugee Convention will celebrate their 70th anniversary in 2021. On this occasion, the UNHCR office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein is planning several activities for these celebrations.

The UNHCR and the 1951 Refugee Convention are the two pillars of the modern international refugee protection system. Both were created after a troubled period. The combined experiences of war, oppression, and persecution before, during, and immediately following World War II led to the strengthening of international cooperation and international law. A first concrete result was the creation of the United Nations in 1945.

From a crisis in Europe to a global protection system

This has led to the development of international instruments for the protection of human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 and, shortly afterwards, in 1951, the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (CGR) was adopted, the first global instrument on the protection of human rights.

The United Nations Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, was created in December 1950 by the UN General Assembly to work with states to ensure the protection of refugees. Since their creation, the UNHCR and the Geneva Convention have been the two main pillars of the international protection system. The original objective of resolving the refugee crisis of World War II later evolved into a global system.

Countless lives saved

Switzerland has played a significant role in the development of this system from the beginning and continues to be an important supporter. Switzerland has thus been one of the UNHCR's main donor states in recent years (more information in French and in German).

These anniversaries are therefore a unique opportunity to publicize the history and contributions of this system. It has helped to save countless lives and to ensure the protection of people forced to flee their country. However, despite its long history and importance, it is still little known.

Planned series of events

The UNHCR Office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein (OSL) is planning to celebrate these anniversaries with several activities for both the general public and specialists. One focus of the celebrations involves the academic world. Legal and migration experts from various Swiss universities and the UNHCR have planned a series of events devoted to international refugee law (provisional program in French and German). The first presentations took place at the end of 2020 and will continue throughout 2021.

These events will cover a wide range of topics: origins of international refugee law, review of the work and mandate of the UNHCR, discussions on current and sometimes controversial issues in international refugee law. These presentations are primarily intended for an expert audience, but most will be open to a wider audience.

A second axis will see OSL collaborate with several Swiss art schools in order to make the text of the 1951 Convention more accessible to the general public.

More information on the website of the UNHCR Office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein (in French and in German).