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Article: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Public Health
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UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES
Persecution, political violence, natural disasters, armed conflict, and other catastrophic events are among the numerous reasons that, throughout history, millions of people have had to flee their homes as refugees and seek protection in other countries. Organized efforts to protect and assist refugees while finding lasting solutions to their problems can be traced back to 1919 and the founding of the League of Nations. Due to the large numbers of refugees that resulted from World War I, the Russian revolution, and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations, in 1921, created the position of High Commissioner to deal with the ...