Sustainability Language

Human Rights & Social Sustainability

Asylum seeker

A person who has sought — or intends to seek — international protection in another country and whose claim has not yet been decided; distinct from a recognised refugee.

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Definition

Someone who is seeking international protection and whose request for refugee status (or complementary protection) has yet to be processed. An asylum seeker has applied, or intends to apply, to be legally recognised as a refugee; not all asylum seekers will be found to be refugees, but all refugees were once asylum seekers. UNHCR estimated about 9 million people were awaiting decisions on asylum claims at the end of 2025.

References

UNHCR

Definition; distinction from refugee; right to seek asylum and non-refoulement; ~9 million asylum seekers (end-2025).

UNHCR

What asylum is; refugee status determination; refugee vs migrant distinction; 1951 Convention framework.

Overview

What it means

The right to seek asylum is a human right; while claims are assessed, applicants should be protected from return to danger (non-refoulement, anchored in the 1951 Refugee Convention). Status determination is primarily a state responsibility, with UNHCR examining applications where no fair national procedure exists.

How it is used

The term appears in humanitarian reporting, development programming and — increasingly — climate-mobility discussions, since people displaced by climate impacts currently have no dedicated international protection status and may enter asylum systems. Sustainability and human-rights due diligence also engages with the rights of displaced workers in supply chains.

Why it matters

As climate-related displacement grows, the gap between existing legal categories (refugee, asylum seeker, IDP, migrant) and environmentally displaced people is a live policy problem. Precise terminology matters because each status carries different rights and protections.

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