UNHCR Protection Manual

On the object and purpose of Subsidiary Protection Status under the EC Qualification Directive of 29 April 2004; the context and object of Article 15(c) of the Qualification Directive; the meaning of "individual threat"; the meaning of "internal armed conflict"; the meaning of "indiscriminate violence"; the meaning of a real risk of a threat to life or person.

A number of asylum countries have in place administrative or legislative mechanisms for regularising the stay of persons who are not recognised as refugees, but for whom return is not possible. While UNHCR welcomes these mechanisms, lack of harmonizarion has led to a proliferation of statuses granted to a wide range of persons for a variety of reasons with varying standards of treatment. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion by: i) identifying the appropriate beneficiaries; ii) sketching the applicable legal framework and the nature of protection provided by States; and iii) suggesting standards of treatment and procedural mechanisms which, from UNHCR’s perspective, would be most appropriate.