2021 UNHCR Best Interests Procedure Guidelines: Assessing and Determining the Best Interests of the Child

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its partners support the strengthening or establishment of comprehensive child protection systems, which includes providing individual children at risk with targeted, timely, systematic and coordinated support in their best interests. These Guidelines focus on this crucial element of the UNHCR child protection mandate. The primary objective of the BIP Guidelines is to support UNHCR and partner staff in improving the protection outcomes for refugee children by: i) situating the best interests of refugee children within a comprehensive child protection system and ii) strengthening child protection case management for all refugee children. These Guidelines replace all previous guidelines, including the 2008 BID Guidelines and the 2011 Field Handbook, and the 2018 BIP Guidelines.