At the start of the twenty-first century, fifty years after the drafting of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, international refugee protection is at a crossroads. In a globalizing world and a rapidly changing political environment, the Convention faces many challenges. These include new forms of persecution and conflict, complex mixed migration movements, the reluctance of many states to accept refugees, and restrictive interpretation of the Convention.

The papers and the conclusions contained in this volume are one outcome of the Global Consultations on International Protection, organized by UNHCR in 2000–2 to reinvigorate the international refugee protection regime. They address key questions relating to the 1951 Convention, where it was considered that greater clarity and coherence of interpretation was needed. They are the result of a series of expert roundtables which were held in 2001 as part of the Global Consultations.

This book examines some of the legal issues that are part of the system of governance for refugees. The cornerstone of this system remains the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol. The aim is to ensure that this system can function more effectively, equitably, and efficiently, enabling refugees to obtain the protection to which they are entitled.

Refugee protection problems cannot be addressed in isolation. All stakeholders, whether they be international organizations, governments, judiciaries, civil society, non-governmental organizations, or academia, need to strengthen their partnerships and clarify their roles.