Mr. Edmond Quartey, Assistant Protection Officer of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), on Wednesday said people had the human right to seek for asylum when necessary.
He said this right was confirmed by Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Mr. Quartey was speaking on �The Mandate of the UNHCR� at a two-day training workshop organized by the organization for journalists from the Western and Central regions at Takoradi.
He said it was the responsibility of governments to take care of refugees and the UNHCR assisted governments to carry out this responsibility.
Mr. Quartey said the protection of refugees was also the responsibility of countries that they sought refuge and once refugees left their countries of origin, they lose national protection.
He said the UNHCR supported governments to give them �International protection� which is not permanent and refugee status could be withdrawn or cancelled.
Mr. Quartey said governments must not return refugees to countries where they would be prosecuted even when those countries had not rectified some conventions on refugees.
Mr. Charles Yorke, Western and Central Regional Coordinator of the Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) said the board is the sole entity responsible for the granting of refugee status in the country.
Mr. Samuel Dzikunu, an Assistant Protection Officer of UNHCR, said there were 5,145 refugees at the Ampain Refugee Camp and 914 refugees at Krisan Refugee Camp in the Western Region and 2,088 refugees at the Egyeikrom Refugee Camp in the Central Region.
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