Cooperation between the state authorities of the Ukraine and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: legal principles and directions for improvement
Authors: Almashi I.M. 
Published: June 2023

This article discloses the main legal principles of cooperation between the authorized state bodies of Ukraine and the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, whose activities in the conditions of full-scale armed aggression against our country are not just extremely important for a person, but vitally necessary. It is worth noting that until the aggressor invaded the territory of our country, the activities of High Commissioner were limited to the issues of persons who were and are refugees from other countries. Today, unfortunately, the Office of High Commissioner exercises its powers also in foreign countries in relation to refugees - our citizens. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was founded in 1950 as an international institution whose main task is to help and protect refugees. The need for this body is also explained by the fact that from the moment of its creation, its powers were limited in time, then extended for five years for dozens of years.In December 2003, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution according to which UN High Commissioner for Refugees shall act indefinitely until the refugee problem is resolved. Throughout its history, this international institution has helped more than 50 million people. Through its missions, which UN High Commissioner for Refugees has the right to establish on the territory of Ukraine, the latter provides assistance and provides protection to refugees on the territory of Ukraine.According to the Statute, High Commissioner ensures the protection of refugees, the care of which falls within the competence of his Office also by facilitating, with the help of special agreements with governments, the implementation of any measures aimed at alleviating the situation of refugees and reducing the number of refugees in need of protection; promoting governmental and private efforts aimed at encouraging the voluntary repatriation of refugees or their assimilation in new countries. However, it should be noted on the issue of the return to Ukraine of forcibly deported children - citizens of Ukraine and children who lived on the territory of Ukraine. In order to solve this problem, on February 24, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 2947-IX, which approved an appeal to international institutions, including UN High Commissioner for Refugees, with the demand to urgently take decisive measures to protect children — citizens of Ukraine and children, who lived on the territory of Ukraine, with the aim of: stopping the genocide of the Ukrainian people in terms of the forced deportation to the territory of the aggressor state or within the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine of children who are citizens of Ukraine. It is worth adopting a law to regulate the issue of repatriation of forcibly deported citizens of Ukraine, including children, from the territory of the aggressor.The activity of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in preventing cases of statelessness is also important