The Classification of Refugees by the UN

What criteria does the UN use to classify refugees?

Based on the data, how does the UN define refugees and what circumstances lead to their classification?

UN Classification of Refugees

The UN classifies refugees as individuals who flee their country due to persecution, conflict, or disturbances to public order, requiring international protection.

According to Shandy in "The Road to Refugee Resettlement," the UN classifies refugees as persons who are outside their country of origin due to feared persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order and thus require international protection. This definition is rooted in the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, which aligns with Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights established in 1948.

Refugees often arrive with minimal personal possessions and face challenges such as separation from family, little opportunity for employment, and the difficulty in reestablishing a household. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is responsible for directing resources and coordinating international efforts to support refugees, including organizing refugee camps and distributing necessary aid like food, water, shelter, and medical care.