29/07/2026
75 years on, the 1951 Refugee Convention remains a cornerstone of international refugee protection — but its future cannot be taken for granted.
In two recent contributions, Professor Vincent Chetail, Director of the Global Migration Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, reflects on the evolution of the international refugee regime and the challenges it faces today.
In an interview with Geneva Solutions, he examines the increasingly restrictive asylum environment confronting refugees worldwide, including deterrence measures, externalisation policies, and barriers to accessing international protection.
In his essay for Opinio Juris, Professor Chetail retraces the remarkable history of the Refugee Convention, from a treaty initially conceived to address post-war displacement in Europe to a universal pillar of international law that has protected millions of people over the past 75 years.
Together, these contributions highlight an important message: the Convention is not becoming obsolete. Rather, its principles are being tested by contemporary migration policies that risk undermining the right to seek asylum while maintaining the appearance of compliance with international obligations.
As we commemorate this landmark anniversary, Professor Chetail reminds us that refugee protection is not merely a policy choice—it is a legal and moral commitment rooted in international solidarity and human dignity.
📖 Read more:
🔹 Geneva Solutions:
https://genevasolutions.news/peace-humanitarian/you-end-up-feeling-caged-75-years-on-embattled-refugee-convention-faces-tightening-asylum
🔹 Opinio Juris:
https://opiniojuris.org/2026/06/18/symposium-on-the-1951-refugee-convention-at-75-resilience-in-times-of-contestation-the-turbulent-destiny-of-the-refugee-convention/
