Note on the Mandate of the High Commissioner for Refugees and his Office

Forced displacement and statelessness are undoubtedly matters of concern to the international community. It is in response to these challenges that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and his Office were created as the global refugee institution in the wake of the Second World War. The mandate of the High Commissioner was established by the UN General Assembly [GA] in 1950, born from the experience of different international refugee institutions that had existed in the inter-war period.
It was the intention of the GA to ensure that the High Commissioner, supported by his Office, “would enjoy a special status within the UN ... possess[ing] the degree of independence and the prestige which would seem to be required for the effective performance of his functions.” The High Commissioner is elected directly by the GA, acting under its authority and reporting to it annually. The roles and responsibilities outlined in the Statute of the Office are vested in the High Commissioner from which his particular authority is derived.