Global Refugee Protection at 75: Uncovering Structural Drivers of Anti‑Migration Sentiment and Pathways for Reform
Original framing: “Can the UN’s Refugee Convention survive?” — Al Jazeera
Empirical studies link restrictive asylum policies to higher rates of undocumented migration, mental‑health deterioration, and secondary displacement, while evidence‑based integration programs improve socioeconomic outcomes for both refugees and host societies. Climate‑migration modelling predicts a 30 % increase in forced displacement by 2050, underscoring the need for the Convention to incorporate environmental drivers. Scientific consensus thus calls for a data‑driven expansion of protection criteria beyond persecution to include climate‑related loss.
The 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention exposes a clash between its humanitarian origins and contemporary anti‑migration politics rooted in economic, security, and climate imperatives.
By foregrounding Indigenous hospitality, historical continuities of displacement, and robust scientific evidence, we can re‑design the treaty to address climate‑driven mobility, share responsibility regionally, and embed community‑driven governance. Marginalised voices and artistic narratives must inform policy to counteract dehumanising rhetoric, while trickster insights destabilise complacent legalism. Implementing expanded legal definitions, co‑governance structures, and data‑guided integration will transform the Convention from a symbolic relic into a resilient, future‑oriented framework.