According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is someone who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his or her nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail him or herself of the protection of that country.

Migration in which people cross national borders.

International protection refers to all actions aimed at ensuring the equal access to and enjoyment of the rights of women, men, girls, and boys of concern to UNHCR, in accordance with the relevant bodies of law (including international humanitarian, human rights, and refugee law).

A person who has been forced to leave his or her home area to find a safe place inside his or her home country, rather than crossing an international border is known as an internally displaced person (IDP). IDPs often flee for similar reasons as refugees, such as armed conflict, disasters, generalized violence, or human rights violations. However, legally they remain under the protection of their own government, even though that government might be the cause of their flight.