I) Refugee status, on the universal level, is governed by the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. These two international legal instruments have been adopted within the framework of the United Nations. At the time of republishing this Handbook 110 states have become parties to the Convention or to the Protocol or to both instruments. II) These two international legal instruments are applicable to persons who are refugees as therein defined. The assessment as to who is a refugee, i. e. the determination of refugee status under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, is incumbent upon the Contracting State in whose territory the refugee applies for recognition of refugee status. III) Both the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol provide for co-operation between the Contracting States and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. This co-operation extends to the determination of refugee status, according to arrangements made in various Contracting States.