Foreword
The responsibility sharing of refugees is a critical global challenge that requires coordinated international cooperation. While the 1951 Refugee Convention is built on the right to seek asylum and the enjoyment of rights and standards of treatment, the practical implementation of these rights and standards falls disproportionately on low- and middle-income countries, creating significant strain on their resources and infrastructure. This book offers a comprehensive and lucid analysis of how the concept of responsibility sharing emerged and evolved in the refugee context, drawing compelling parallels with the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities’ from environmental law. Looking to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change as a model, Dr. Elizabeth Mavropoulou proposes a Protocol on Refugee Responsibility Sharing that would complement the Refugee Convention, as a legally binding solution to the responsibility sharing gap. This timely book advances our understanding of refugee law and offers much needed practical solutions to one of today’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. The book makes a valuable contribution to both scholarly discourse and policy development in refugee protection, and will no doubt establish itself as a cornerstone in international refugee law.
Professor Hélène Lambert
Director, Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness
Melbourne Law School, Australia