The memory of the Holocaust and the and the disorder following the Second World War prompted the international community to promise sanctuary to all those whose fundamental rights were at risk. This was recognised as an essential means to guarantee the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1951 the UN Refugee Convention was agreed. The Convention was updated and supplemented by a 1967 Protocol, and in subsequent years regional agreements in Africa and Latin America broadened the refugee definition and extended protection to groups fleeing generalised violence, as well as persecution. Today, the international system for protecting refugees is in danger of being rendered irrelevant.
Some states refuse to ratify and implement the refugee treaties.
Many are flouting the provisions of international refugee law, challenging its premise and refusing to honour their responsibilities. States which break their promise to protect refugees are undermining international human rights guarantees. They should be exposed and challenged.