Abstract: | UNHCR issues these Guidelines pursuant to its mandate, as containedin the 1950 Statute of the Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees in conjunction with Article 35 ofthe 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and ArticleII of its 1967 Protocol. These Guidelines complement the UNHCRHandbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining RefugeeStatus under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relatingto the Status of Refugees (1979, re-edited, Geneva, January1992). They should additionally be read in conjunction withUNHCR's Guidelines on International Protection on gender-relatedpersecution within the context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951Convention and/or 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees(HCR/GIP/02/01) and on "membership of a particular social group"within the context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/orits 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (HCR/GIP/02/02),both of 7 May 2002. These Guidelines are intended to provide interpretative legalguidance for governments, legal practitioners, decision-makersand the judiciary, as well as for UNHCR staff carrying out refugeestatus determination in the field. |