SUNDAY 28 July marks the 73rd anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the cornerstone of refugee protection which has saved and protected the lives of millions of people around the world fleeing war, violence, persecution and human rights violations.
To mark the occasion, UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo released the following statement:
The Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol establish the internationally recognised definition of a refugee and the rights and assistance they are entitled to while displaced. Millions of people around the world continue to receive protection owing to the principles these treaties enshrine.
At the heart of the Refugee Convention is the customary law principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits a State from returning someone to a place where their life or freedom would be threatened.
Important regional refugee instruments such as the 1969 OAU Convention, signed by many African States, and the 1984 Cartagena Declaration from the Americas, complement the Refugee Convention and have built upon its refugee definition.
To date, 149 States worldwide have acceded to the Refugee Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol. They are set out in a new Refugee Treaty and Legislation Dashboard (RTLD), recently launched by UNHCR, which captures developments on international and regional refugee instruments and national legislation.
Ahead of the anniversary, UNHCR – as the guardian of the Refugee Convention – is urging the remaining 46 UN Member and Observer States to accede to it.
An increase in the number of accessions to the Refugee Convention was observed in the latter part of the last century, particularly in the 1960s, early 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000, 13 States have acceded to it – with the most recent being Nauru in 2011 and South Sudan in 2018. More commitment to the Refugee Convention is still needed, in particular among States in Asia and in the Middle East, as well as in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Accession to the Refugee Convention not only evidences a State’s willingness to protect refugees in accordance with international legal obligations, it can also help avoid friction between States over refugee issues, recognizing that the granting of asylum is a peaceful, humanitarian and legal act, rather than a political or hostile gesture.
It can also help foster cooperation and the sharing of refugee protection responsibilities between States, strengthening predictability and accountability at the international level. It is a signal of support for the principles of multilateralism and international solidarity that underpin refugee protection.
With 43.4 million refugees currently protected in countries across the world, today’s global displacement situation is testament to the enduring relevance of the Refugee Convention and regional refugee law.
As long as new conflicts continue to erupt, prolonged ones fail to end, and people continue to be persecuted, there will be a need for these legal instruments.
In addition to promoting universal accession of the Refugee Convention, UNHCR is calling on all States to give effect to the principles of refugee law, including to protect the fundamental right of all people to seek and enjoy asylum, and to uphold and protect the human rights of those forced to flee.
* Source: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency