The award of the 1981 Nobel Peace Prize to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has again focused attention on an organ that has received surprisingly little analysis in the scholarly literature. In what follows, after some preliminary remarks about the needs and rights of refugees, I plan to discuss (1) the mandate and functions of the Office, (2) the types of projects in which it is currently engaged (through an examination of the High Commissioner's 1980–81 Report), and then, (3) to make some comments about the significance of the diplomatic protection functions of the Office to conceptions of international law and organization.