Beyond the nexus: UNHCR’s evolving perspective on refugee protection and international migration

Until the 1990s, UNHCR rarely made any reference to the issue of international migration in its policy documents and public statements. Indeed, the organization made a determined effort to separate the issue of refugee protection from that of international migration, so as to underline the special status and protection needs of people falling within its mandate.
From the early 1990 onwards, however, UNHCR's traditional reluctance to acknowledge or discuss the issue of international migration was challenged by a number of related developments.