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The 1951 Refugee Convention, and its 1967 Protocol,   define who is a refugee, what rights refugees have as well as the legal obligations of states to protect them. The Convention is the indispensable foundation of international refugee protection and is legally binding on all contracting states. It has helped to save countless lives and provided protection to those forced to flee their country due to conflict and persecution.  While the world has changed in the 70 years since the Convention was drawn up, it remains as relevant today as it was at the time.  There are today nearly 80 million forcibly displaced people globally. However, states regularly disregard the rights of refugees and numerous breaches of the rights protected by the Convention have been recently observed.

This anniversary is therefore a unique opportunity to remind us of the tools that have been put in place to protect refugees and forcibly displaced people ,  the United Nations’ and in particular the UN Refugee Agency – UNHCR’s role, how refugee arrivals are being handled in Belgium, and the Belgian position in the EU debate.  Although only a small proportion of refugees are currently in Europe, the protection mechanisms put in place by the EU and its member states are of significant importance for international refugee protection.