The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 14 December 1950 and began work in 1951 in Geneva, Switzerland. It was set up to help the millions of Europeans who remained displaced after the Second World War and was initially given a three-year mandate. The 1951 Refugee Convention defined who is a refugee and set out the rights of refugees, including the principle that they should not be returned to a country where they face persecution. Over time its mandate widened to cover people uprooted in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and its work now includes assistance to displaced persons and stateless people. It has twice been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Before and after
- 31 October 1950Birth of Zaha Hadid
- 2 November 1950Death of George Bernard Shaw
- 4 November 1950European Convention on Human Rights
- from 27 November 1950 to 13 December 1950Battle of Changjin Reservoir
- 14 December 1950Founding of Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- 1951Golden Bear
- 1951Founding of Goethe-Institut
- 1951First edition of Sanremo Music Festival
- 1951Founding of International Organization for Migration
More in Society, economy & sport
- 16 November 1945Founding of UNESCO
- 7 April 1948Founding of World Health Organization
- 4 April 1949Founding of NATO
- 1959HIV/AIDS
- 9 September 1999Founding of African Union
- from 15 November 2019 to 5 May 2023COVID-19 pandemic
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.