Refugees and IDPS

A refugee is a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecusion.However, unlike refugees ,internally displaced persons(IDPS)are persons or groups of persons who have been forced to or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence but have not crossed an internationally recongized state border.On the other hand, there is no international humanitarian institution which has the overrall responsibility of protecting and assisting the refugees as well as the internally displaced.
The problem of protecting and assisting refugees and the internally displaced is not a new issue.In terms of legal protection,using the 1951Geneva Refugee Convention as its major tool, UNHCR's core mandate is to ensure the international protection of 31.7 million uprooted people worldwide. It promotes the basic human rights of refugees and that they will not be returned involuntarily to a country where they face persecution. It helps them to repatriate to their homeland when conditions permit, integrate into states of asylum or resettle in third countries. UNHCR promotes international refugee agreements, helps states establish asylum structures and acts as an international watchdog over refugee issues.Through an extensive body of international law and treaties and by working with governments and other organizations on subjects ranging from promoting asylum systems to refugee advocacy, UNHCR promotes the legal protection of refugees and durable solutions. As for the global protection,providing fleeing
civilians with emergency help is often the first step towards their long term protection and rehabilitation. To meet these and other operational needs, UNHCR has developed a global network of suppliers, specialist agencies and partners. Projects can range from dispatching emergency teams to the scene of a crisis, providing emergency food, shelter, water and medical supplies, and arranging major airlifts for a large exodus of refugees or a flotilla of small boats for smaller numbers of fleeing civilians. Among a host of other programmes, there are projects to help protect the environment, build schools and raise awareness of such problems as HIV/AIDS.