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II.3.3 Universal human rights instruments relevant to protection

Main Debates

  • To what extent can international human rights law fill existing gaps in refugee protection? What are their differences?
  • Are refugees rights bearers under human rights treaties?
  • How can international human rights treaties provide protection without enforcement powers?

Main Points

  • Complementarity between 1951 Geneva Convention and other human rights instruments
  • International monitoring bodies and their protection-related practices

Readings

Core

  1. A. Edwards, ‘International Refugee Law’, in D. Moeckli, S. Shah and S. Sivakumaran (eds), International Human Rights Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 512-526.
  2. J.C. Hathaway, 'The Rights of Refugees under International Law', (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), pp. 119-123.