The Future of Asylum Seekers: Reforming International Refugee Law in Response to Global Displacement Crisis
The worldwide displacement crisis, with more than 120 million forcibly displaced individuals as of May 2024, has revealed the inadequacies of the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol in meeting modern challenges like climate-related displacement, mixed migration, and protracted refugee situations. This paper discusses the pressing need to reform international refugee law to protect asylum seekers more effectively while maintaining state sovereignty and global responsibility-sharing. It examines the trends of today, such as policies of externalization, securitarian asylum measures, and rising climate-linked displacement, and advocates a revamped legal framework encompassing broadened definitions of refugees, regional arrangements, and novel protection mechanisms. It prioritizes equitable burden-sharing and the embedding of human rights considerations to yield sustainable solutions to asylum seekers.
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