Main Debates

• Is there a right to asylum under international law? If so, what are its limits?
• How broadly should the legal definition of ‘refugee’ be drawn?
• How long is a state legally obliged to protect refugees?
• To what extent is a state obliged to develop durable solutions as opposed to temporary protection?
• When does human rights protection trump migration control?
• What are the implications of extraterritorial policies that threaten refugee protection?

Main Points

• International refugee protection as a surrogate to national protection, resulting from the failure of the state to protect the refugee from persecution
• Standards of protection and refugee rights
• Increasing importance of core international human rights instruments for refugee protection