The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is the foundational treaty of international refugee law, defining who qualifies as a refugee, setting out refugees' rights, and establishing the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning a refugee to a country where they face persecution. Adopted in the aftermath of the Second World War and originally limited to events occurring in Europe before 1951, its scope was extended worldwide by a 1967 Protocol. It is supervised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Facts
Key ProvisionAdopted in Geneva on 28 July 1951 and originally limited to persons displaced by events in Europe before 1951 until a 1967 Protocol removed that geographic and temporal limitation, it defines a refugee as a person with a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, who is outside their country of nationality and unable or unwilling to seek that country's protection. Its central obligation, the principle of non-refoulement in Article 33, prohibits a state from expelling or returning a refugee to a territory where their life or freedom would be threatened on those grounds, and the Convention further sets out refugees' rights to work, housing, education, freedom of movement and identity and travel documents in the country that receives them. 1 Classification
Document Type Connections
Associated With
Supervisory responsibility for the Convention rests with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Source 1951 Refugee Convention (UNHCR)
Gives binding legal content to the right to seek and enjoy asylum that Article 14 of the Declaration first proclaimed as an aspiration in 1948.
Source 1951 Refugee Convention (UNHCR)
Influenced By
The Universal Declaration's Article 14 right to seek asylum is given binding legal form in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
Sources
1. 1951 Refugee Convention (UNHCR)
UNHCR, the UN Refugee AgencyDocument type, description
The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is the foundational treaty of international refugee law, defining who qualifies as a refugee, setting out refugees' rights, and establishing the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning a refugee to a country where they face persecution.
- Associated With: Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Associated With: United Nations
View the Source Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Wikipedia)
In Group: Treaties and Agreements of 1946 to 1989, Lead paragraphQuote, In Group: Treaties and Agreements of 1946 to 1989, Lead paragraph
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 originally designed to establish the legal status of displaced persons in post-World War II Europe.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.