Scholarly impact
The BEYOND article "The 1951 Refugee Convention and Non-Signatory States: Charting a Research Agenda" continues to receive significant attention in the academic community.
First published in December 2021, the journal article has steadily ranked as the most read article in the acclaimed International Journal of Refugee Law. It has been viewed 14,000 times since publication.
A research agenda on non-signatory states
In the article, Professor Janmyr sets out the research agenda of the BEYOND project, based on years of research that cumulated in the ERC-funded project.
In order to assess the continued relevance of the 1951 Refugee Convention, Janmyr argues that a closer examination of non-signatory states' engagement with international refugee law is necessary.
Janmyr notably finds that the Convention continues to structure responses to refugees, also in non-signatory states. The article details the various ways in which international refugee law norms are spread and used in non-signatory states, and how these states contribute to the development of international refugee law. These include:
- The presence of UNHCR in non-signatory states
- Domestic courts' engagement with international refugee law
- Non-signatory states' participation in global fora such as the UNHCR Executive Committee
- Non-signatory states' active negotiation of soft law instruments drawing on the Convention, such as the Global Compact on Refugees.
Janmyr has presented the article at several conferences and universities, including the University of Dhaka, the American University of Beirut and at University College London. The article can be openly accessed on IJRL's website here.
Article on Lebanon most cited
The journal article "No Country of Asylum: ‘Legitimizing’ Lebanon’s Rejection of the 1951 Refugee Convention", also authored by Janmyr, remains the most cited in the same journal six years after its publication in 2017. The article has also been viewed some 20,000 times since publication.
In the article, Janmyr explores the reasons for why Lebanon choses to remain non-signatory to the Refugee Convention. The article laid the groundwork for many of the ideas that the BEYOND project builds upon. It can be openly accessed on IJRL's website here.