Blog
“The law is not meant to act a trap”: How can Pakistan change its approach to Afghan refugees and asylum seekers?
The story of one woman, Rahil Azizi, highlights the impossible situation of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers seeking safety in Pakistan. Azizi’s long fight to claim asylum through the Islamabad High Court suggests there is an ever-widening gap in Pakistan between the letter and the spirit of the law. Arjumand Bano Kazmi believes Azizi’s victory could be a timely aid to hundreds of other Afghan refugees who are subjected to arbitrary arrests, detentions, trials and deportation.
Falling in Love with the Archives: Refugee Files
I am listening to the countless voices, talking to me, telling me their stories. In the memos, letters, official and confidential reports, meeting minutes, press cuttings, telex, incoming and outgoing cables, fax messages, photographs, and the yellowish Action Sheets – reside stories, voices of concern, of hope and despair.
Who is a Refugee in Times of Deportation? Lebanon Prepares for the Large-Scale Forced Return of Syrians
Maja Janmyr argues that, in the current policy landscape, a distinction between those in need of protection and those who potentially are not is difficult, if not impossible, to make.
Give refugees access to the agreements that govern them
When people cross borders to seek international protection, they become subject to the laws and regulations of their host state. Yet many states across the world, including several of the world’s most important refugee host states, are not signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention that guarantees refugee rights, nor do they have any laws pertaining to asylum seekers and refugees. What comes in place of a recognized legal framework? Increasingly, it is confidential agreements negotiated between UNHCR and the host state.
Online workshop: International Refugee Law and Non-Signatory States to the 1951 Refugee Convention — Developing a Research Agenda
The BEYOND project organizes an online exploratory workshop to generate discussions, form networks and explore collaborations for future research on the interplay between international refugee law and non-signatory states. The call for participation is now open.
The earthquake and the refugees in Turkey
In the early morning hours of 6 February 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria. Its epicentre was near Gaziantep, Turkey. It will be a while before we know how many lives are lost but the current figure of around 40,000 is sure to rise immensely. Thousands have lost their family members, friends, livelihoods, homes…
Bangladesh and the 1951 Refugee Convention
There are currently over 27.1 million refugees globally, and 83 percent of them are hosted in low- and middle-income countries. A good number of refugee hosting states have not ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol. At present, none of the South Asian countries – except Afghanistan, in 2005 – has signed the 1951 Convention. Among them is Bangladesh, one of the world’s major refugee hosting countries. Despite Bangladesh being an important host state, few studies have examined its relation to international refugee law. In this blogpost, I explore Bangladesh’s position as a non-signatory state to the 1951 Convention.
State succession to the 1951 Refugee Convention: the curious case of Mauritius
In 2003 the Supreme Court of Mauritius concluded that, upon its independence from Great Britain in 1968, Mauritius had succeeded to the 1951 Refugee Convention. Yet Mauritius is not among the formal list of States Parties to the Convention and UNHCR regularly encourages it to accede to the Convention. Why then does the Supreme Court consider Mauritius a State Party while the International Community continues to see it as a non-signatory State?
From state petitions to protection space: UNHCR’s promotion of the 1951 Refugee Convention
Although UNHCR has a mandatory duty to promote accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention, UNHCR appears to increasingly take the back seat when it comes to petitioning for state accession. Universal accession to the Convention has proven almost impossible to achieve and new states parties are rare
Preventing the misuse of research findings in BEYOND
What are the risks associated with misuse of research findings in the fields of refugee- and migration studies? And how can these be mitigated in ERC projects? These are important questions that we are revisiting in connection with the commencement of the BEYOND project.
BEYOND kicks off!
With a slightly delayed start due to the global pandemic, we are finally kicking off our five-year project BEYOND! Much hard work awaits in the years to come, but the project will be off to a flying start with lots on our to-do list for 2021.
Call for papers: FMR mini-feature on non-signatory states and the international refugee regime
In June/July 2021, the BEYOND project will publish a mini-feature on Non-signatory States and the international refugee regime in Foreign Migration Review, the most widely read publication on forced migration. The deadline for submissions is 15 March 2021.
Non-signatory States and the international refugee regime - a FMR mini-feature
In February 2021 and in February 2023, the BEYOND and REF-ARAB projects will each publish a mini-feature in Forced Migration Review, the most widely read publication on forced migration.