Protecting refugee rights on the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention

Seventy-five years ago, the world came together in a rare moment of unity, against the backdrop of world war and unparalleled global destruction, to enshrine the right of safety to every person fleeing conflict and persecution, regardless of their background or status. Since 1951, the Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol have saved countless lives, and the adherence of states to the rules governing the protection of people forced to flee has represented a monumental achievement in shared humanity and international cooperation. On the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Refugee Convention, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) – celebrating 70 years of supporting refugee rights – highlights the importance and continued relevance of the Convention and makes recommendations to strengthen its protections. 

Sadly, today, as global conflict intensifies and multilateralism declines, the Refugee Convention is at risk. States’ focus on externalisation measures and migration management are increasing and undermining protection efforts. Resettlement options are limited and illegal pushbacks and refoulement have become all too common. Migration routes have become more dangerous, making 2026 so far one of the deadliest years on record for refugees and migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean since tracking began. Efforts to “reopen” the Refugee Convention to limit the rights and obligations it includes are underway and gaining traction. Additional frameworks designed in part to protect refugees are also being undermined, including International Humanitarian Law (IHL), International Human Rights Law (IHRL), and the institutions charged with upholding them, resulting in worsening protection outcomes during and after conflict. 

At the same time, the global number of forcibly displaced people in need of protection – 122 million – continues to rise. By the end of 2026, DRC forecasts that an additional 6.7 million people will be displaced. Needs are growing, and the unity and common values that once brought states together to address these needs are disappearing.  

To protect the rights of refugees, states must recall the shared humanity of the Refugee Convention, reverse impediments to the right to seek asylum and access protection, and commit to genuine and equitable responsibility sharing in support of an efficient, functioning, and rights-based asylum system. 

1. Ensure access to territory and uphold the right to seek asylum  

Access to territory to seek asylum is a fundamental component of refugee protection. While seeking asylum – regularly or irregularly – is not a crime, many states in host, transit, and destination countries are increasingly tightening border controls, criminalising “unauthorised entry” and rejecting people seeking international protection, often in violation of the principle of non-refoulement. To protect the rights of, and reduce risks for, refugees, DRC calls on states to:  

2. Strengthen asylum systems and refugee protection 

Ensuring asylum procedures are in place that function with fairness, efficiency, adaptability, and integrity is paramount to ensure protection outcomes for refugees and displaced populations. Efforts to weaken asylum systems negatively impact the protection of and fair access to refugees’ human and socio-economic rights under the Refugee Convention. To ensure that global asylum systems are best supported to meet the needs of refugees, DRC calls on states to:

3. Strengthen and expand safe pathways to protection, including resettlement 

Pathways to international protection are becoming increasingly difficult to access and migration routes increasingly dangerous and deadly, as evidenced by continuing and rising deaths in the Mediterranean. State initiatives to ensure greater access and safer routes must prioritise peoples’ needs without being limited and exclusionary, or undermining responsibility sharing and weaking protection outcomes. To reverse this trend, DRC calls on states to:  

4. Distinguish between refugee protection and migration management 

Too often messages and policies on refugee protection are conflated with migration management, with grave consequences for the people concerned. People fleeing conflict and persecution often don’t have the luxury of choosing regular pathways to safety, and policies and approaches to refugee protection should reflect this reality. Refugees and forcibly displaced people are best served when pathways and cooperation frameworks work as tools for rights protection and risk reduction, not labour or border management. Therefore, to improve refugee protection in the context of mixed migration, DRC calls on states to: 

5. Reaffirm the Validity of the Refugee Convention 

Efforts to strengthen protections for refugees must be rooted in the Refugee Convention, as the over-arching legal instrument under which international refugee protection is recognised. As international cooperation deteriorates and an increasing number of UN member states fail to live up to their obligations, states must recommit to this vital, life-saving tool and ensure the non-negotiable protections of the Refugee Convention remain intact. Therefore, DRC calls on states to: