The panel explores questions at the heart of BEYOND’s research agenda such as: What are the reasons for States refusing to sign or ratify the 1951 Convention? What influence does the Refugee Convention have on non-signatory States? How do non-signatory States engage with and help shape developments within the international refugee law regime and its institutions?
Focusing on case studies from South Asia and the Middle East, the panel includes presentations by an excellent mix of junior scholars: Dr. Charlotte Lysa (University of Oslo), Dr. M. Sanjeeb Hossain (Univeristy of Oslo, Jay Ramasubramanyam (Carleton Univeristy) and Dr. Jinan Bastaki (UAE University). BEYOND PI Professor Maja Janmyr will act as moderator, while Professor Dallal Stevens will act as panel discussant.
To mark the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the chosen theme of this year’s conference is “Ageing Gracefully? The 1951 Refugee Convention at 70”.
BEYOND PI Professor Maja Janmyr says that despite the fact that the 1951 Refugee Convention is the centerpiece of global refugee protection, its relevance and utility has repeatedly been called into question.
- As we approach its 70th anniversary, the issue of the importance and influence of the Convention is at the forefront of many scholarly and political debates.
Janmyr thinks that a panel on non-signatory states is timely at this year’s conference:
- By proposing a panel focusing on the linkages between the international refugee regime and states that are non-signatories to the Convention, we hope to properly bring non-signatory states into the on-going debates about the past and future of the Convention.
The 5th Annual Conference of the Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) at the University of London (link to conference web page) will take place virtually between Wednesday 9 June to Friday 11 June 2021. The Conference is an annual international forum dedicated to debating the latest research and developments in the field.