The Hungarian Refugee Crisis in 1956

The historical significance of the 1956 Hungarian refugee crisis lies particularly in the fact that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) emerged at that time as the most important actor in the international refugee system; it was presented with a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to coordinate the broad international cooperation unfolding on behalf of the refugees.

The Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) also played a crucial role in resolving the 1956 Hungarian refugee crisis. Established in 1951 outside the UN system at the initiative of the United States, this body handled the registration and organized the transport of the approximately 200,000 Hungarians who had fled to Austria and Yugoslavia.

Joint efforts to resolve the Hungarian refugee crisis strengthened the ties between the ICEM and the UNHCR. In accordance with their established mandates, the League of Red Cross Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross also played a significant part in managing the 1956 Hungarian refugee situation.

The League played an active role by providing direct aid to the refugees in the primary host countries — Austria and Yugoslavia — and during their transport, as well as — through its national Red Cross member societies — upon their reception in the countries of permanent resettlement.

The co-operative effort to find a comprehensive solution to the Hungarian refugee problem served as the first example of international organizations jointly managing a sudden humanitarian crisis.