UNHCR’s Origins and Early History: Agency, Influence, and Power in Global Refugee Policy

2017/03/23 by Gil Loescher · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography #Global Peace and Security Dynamics #Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics

paper · pdf · doi:10.25071/1920-7336.40450

openalex publication_date 2017/03/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21

Abstract

This article assesses the role and functions of UNHCR during its formative years and explores its agency, influence, and use of power in global refugee policy. During most of the Cold War, UNHCR’s first four high commissioners employed delegated authority and expertise on refugee law and protection, thereby convincing states of the Office’s usefulness to international stability and ensuring its survival, growth, and power. It concludes by arguing that the Office should use the lessons of this early period of its history to explore ways to exercise similar attributes today.

Discussions

• In honour of #UNDay, Refuge is spotlighting this 2017 article from our archives, where Gil Loescher maps out UNCHR’s origins and early days, examining its agency, infuence, and use of power in the glo [bsky, 3 points, 0 comments]

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