Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees


The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who a refugee is and sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum. The convention also sets out which people do not qualify as refugees, such as war criminals. The convention also provides for some visa-free travel for holders of refugee travel documents issued under the convention.
This convention was mentioned in Article 78 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
The Refugee Convention builds on Article 14 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the right of persons to seek asylum from persecution in other countries. A refugee may enjoy rights and benefits in a state in addition to those provided for in the convention.
The rights created by the Convention generally still stand today. Some have argued that the complex nature of 21st century refugee relationships calls for a new treaty that recognizes the evolving nature of the nation-state, economic migrants, population displacement, environmental migrants, and modern warfare. Nevertheless, ideas like the principle of non-refoulement are still applied today, with the 1951 Convention being the source of such rights.

History

Prior to the 1951 convention, the League of Nations' Convention relating to the International Status of Refugees, of 28 October 1933, dealt with administrative measures such as the issuance of Nansen certificates, refoulement, legal questions, labour conditions, industrial accidents, welfare and relief, education, fiscal regime and exemption from reciprocity, and provided for the creation of committees for refugees. However, the League of Nations' convention was primarily designed for the relief of refugees from the breakup of the Ottoman Empire and from the Russian Revolution, and was only ratified by nine countries, limiting its scope.
The 1951 Convention was adopted by a United Nations Conference on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons, convened in Geneva in 1951. The convention was approved on 28 July 1951, and entered into force on 22 April 1954. It was initially limited to providing protection for European refugees from before 1 January 1951, but states could make a declaration that the provisions would apply to refugees from other places.
The 1967 Protocol removed the time limits and applied to refugees "without any geographic limitation" but declarations previously made by parties to the convention on geographic scope were grandfathered.

Parties

As of 20 January 2020, there were 146 parties to the convention, and 147 to the Protocol. Madagascar and Saint Kitts and Nevis are parties only to the convention, while Cape Verde, the United States of America and Venezuela are parties only to the Protocol. Since the US ratified the Protocol in 1968, it undertook a majority of the obligations spelled out in the original 1951 document, and Article 1 as amended in the Protocol, as "supreme Law of the Land".

Definition of refugee

Article 1 of the convention "grandfathers" in those accepted under previous conventions:
without excluding anyone falling under subsection 2 who was ruled not a refugee under previous systems.
Article 1 of the convention defines a refugee as a person who:
With the passage of time and the emergence of new refugee situations, the need was increasingly felt to make the date specific provisions of the 1951 Convention applicable to later refugees. As a result, a Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees was prepared, and entered into force on 4 October 1967. The UNHCR is called upon to provide international protection for refugees falling within its competence. The protocol defined refugee to mean any person within the 1951 Convention definition as if the words "As a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951 and..." were omitted.
Several groups have built upon the 1951 Convention to create a more objective definition. While their terms differ from those of the 1951 Convention, the convention has significantly shaped the new, more objective definitions. They include the 1969 Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa by the Organisation of African Unity and the 1984 Cartagena Declaration which, while nonbinding, also sets out regional standards for refugees in South and Central Americas, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Some scholars have started to consider this definition unsuitable for contemporary society, as, for example, environmental refugees are not captured in the definition.

Rights and responsibilities of parties

In the general principle of international law, treaties in force are binding upon the parties to it and must be performed in good faith. Countries that have ratified the Refugee Convention are obliged to protect refugees that are on their territory in accordance with its terms. There are a number of provisions to which parties to the Refugee Convention must adhere.
Refugees shall:
  • abide by the national laws of the contracting states
The contracting states shall:
  • exempt refugees from reciprocity after 3 years : That means that the granting of a right to a refugee should not be subject to the granting of similar treatment by the refugee's country of nationality, because refugees do not enjoy the protection of their home state.
  • be able to take provisional measures against a refugee if needed in the interest of essential national security
  • respect a refugee's personal status and the rights that come with it, particularly rights related to marriage
  • provide free access to courts for refugees
  • provide administrative assistance for refugees
  • provide identity papers for refugees
  • provide travel documents for refugees
  • allow refugees to transfer their assets
  • provide the possibility of assimilation and naturalization to refugees
  • cooperate with the UNHCR in the exercise of its functions and help the UNHCR to supervise the implementation of the provisions in the convention.
  • provide information on any national legislation they may adopt to ensure the application of the convention.
  • settle disputes they may have with other contracting states at the International Court of Justice if not otherwise possible
The contracting states shall not:
  • discriminate against refugees
  • take exceptional measures against a refugee solely on account of his or her nationality
  • expect refugees to pay taxes and fiscal charges that are different from those of nationals
  • impose penalties on refugees who entered illegally in search of asylum if they present themselves without delay, which is commonly interpreted to mean that their unlawful entry and presence ought not to be prosecuted at all
  • expel refugees
  • forcibly return or "refoul" refugees to the country they have fled from. It is widely accepted that the prohibition of forcible return is part of customary international law. This means that even states that are not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention must respect the principle of non-refoulement. Therefore, states are obligated under the convention and under customary international law to respect the principle of non-refoulement. If this principle is threatened, UNHCR can respond by intervening with relevant authorities and, if it deems necessary, will inform the public.
Refugees shall be treated at least like nationals in relation to:
  • freedom to practice their religion
  • the respect and protection of artistic rights and industrial property
  • rationing
  • elementary education
  • public relief and assistance
  • labour legislation and social security
Refugees shall be treated at least like other non-nationals in relation to:
  • movable and immovable property
  • the right of association in unions or other associations
  • wage-earning employment
  • self-employment
  • practice of the liberal professions
  • housing
  • education higher than elementary
  • the right to free movement and free choice of residence within the country

    Noncompliance

There is no body that monitors compliance. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has supervisory responsibilities but cannot enforce the convention, and there is no formal mechanism for individuals to file complaints. The Convention specifies that complaints should be referred to the International Court of Justice. It appears that no nation has ever done this.
An individual may lodge a complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or with the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, but no one has ever done so in regard to violations of the convention. Nations may levy international sanctions against violators, but no nation has ever done so.
At present, the only real consequences of violation are 1) public shaming in the press, and 2) verbal condemnation of the violator by the UN and by other nations. To date, those have not proven to be significant deterrents.