This revised and expanded second edition of The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) continues to offer a concise and comprehensive introduction to both the world of refugees and the organizations that protect and assist them. This updated edition also includes:

• up to date coverage of the UNHCR’s most recent history and policy developments


• evaluation of new thinking on issues such as working in UN integrated operations and within the UN peacebuilding commission


• assessment of the UNHCR’s record of working for IDP’s (internally displaced persons)


• discussion of the politics of protection and its implications for the work of the UNHCR


• outline of the new challenges for the agency including environmental refugees, victims of natural disasters and survival migrants.

Written by experts in the field, this is one of the very few books to trace the relationship between state interests, global politics, and the work of the UNHCR. This book will appeal to students, scholars, practitioners, and readers with an interest in international relations.