In humanitarian settings and within the UNHCR mandate, a refugee is defined as:

any person who is outside his/her country of origin and who is unwilling or unable to return there or to avail him/herself of its protection because of:

1. a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion;

or

2. a threat to life or security as a result of armed conflict and other forms of widespread violence which seriously disturb the public order.

Whether a person is a refugee is not dependent on formal recognition, but on the fact of meeting the definition of refugee.