Finding long-term solutions – refugees returning voluntarily and in dignity and safety local integration resettlement in another country – lies at the heart of the UNHCR's work and responsibilities. The UNHCR carries out a wide range of protection activities that in particular help define legal norms at national and international levels, promote gender equality and the protection of women and girls, ensure that protection guarantees are integrated into regional strategies regarding various types of migrants (mixed migration flows), and enable refugee status to be determined. Involving refugees in the decisions that affect their lives is an essential principle of the UNHCR's work.
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The UNHCR works closely with governments, with regional and international organisations, and with NGOs. These groups include stateless persons, persons whose nationality is disputed, and in some cases persons displaced inside their own country. The Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme and the United Nations General Assembly have authorised the UNHCR to intervene on behalf of other groups in addition to refugees.
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International refugee law constitutes the basic regulatory framework of the UNHCR's activities. It carries out its work in accordance with its statute and is guided by the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951 Refugee Convention) and its 1967 Protocol. The UNHCR's mandate is to protect refugees worldwide and to find sustainable solutions to their plight.