We must keep the door open to refugees
The 1951 UN Refugee Convention is as relevant today as it was 52 years ago when initially drafted for European refugees in the wake of World War II.
In fact, there were 12 million refugees in 2001. To deny millions the protection of this much-proven convention would be a grave derogation of human rights. After all, the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution is one of the most basic and fundamental of rights, and it is enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
The necessity for states to meet their obligations to refugees not only under the refugee convention, but as a basic human standard, has not diminished.
The refugee convention is often accused of being responsible for opening the door to high numbers of asylum seekers and misuse of the system.
But the convention cannot be held responsible for a failure to deal with situations it was not designed to address, such as the ever-increasing mixed flows of migrants and asylum seekers entering Europe.
The convention sets the minimum standards internationally for the identification and treatment of refugees.
If would-be migrants seek to misuse the asylum system, then the challenge is to devise procedures or processes to disentangle them.
This of course should never undermine the asylum system, nor diminish our understanding of the importance of maintaining an open door for refugees whose lives are at such serious risk.
Europe, contrary to many myths, is playing host to just a fraction of the world's refugees. In fact, seven out of every ten are hosted by non-industrialised countries.
Ireland shares the global burden. In an international comparison of countries hosting persons of concern to UNHCR (per 1,000 inhabitants), Ireland ranked 53rd.
Providing asylum to refugees carries a financial cost and UNHCR recognises this is a concern of governments. We have promoted practical solutions to ease this burden while encouraging countries to maintain high standards for protecting refugees. In Europe, for instance, asylum seekers could be given the right to work rather than being forced to live on the public purse.
Pia Prütz Phiri,
Representative,
UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
27, Fitzwilliam Street Upper,
Dublin 2
