Flyktingkonventionen

The Flyktingkonventionen, or the Refugee Convention, is a foundational international treaty that defines who a refugee is and what rights they are entitled to. Officially known as the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, it was established in the aftermath of World War II to address the large-scale displacement of people in Europe. Its primary aim is to provide a legal framework for protecting refugees and ensuring they are treated humanely.

The Convention defines a refugee as a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country." It outlines a range of rights that signatory states must grant to refugees, including the right to work, education, and access to courts. Crucially, it establishes the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits states from returning refugees to a territory where they would face persecution.

The 1967 Protocol expanded the scope of the Convention by removing the geographical and time limitations that were present in the original text, making its protections applicable to refugees worldwide and without a specific date reference. While the Convention sets out minimum standards for the treatment of refugees, its implementation and interpretation can vary among signatory countries. Organizations like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) play a key role in overseeing its application and advocating for refugee rights globally.