UNHCR Protection Manual - Related sources

This Opinion deals (1) with the applicable principles of international law, followed by (2) a review of the background to and scope of Articles 25, 27 and 28 1951 Convention; it then provides (3) a brief examination of selected State practice, (4) a summary account of current Canadian law and practice, and (5) an evaluation of that practice against the international standards established in the preceding paragraphs. It concludes (6) with a number of recommendations.

This paper examines a particular category of measures which present serious risks to refugee protection: several current or evolving international treaties and agreements which contravene existing obligations to protect refugees. Not all are directed towards refugees or asylum seekers. As international treaties, however, they have greater significance than unilateral state actions, and arguably the same standing in international law as the 1951 Refugee Convention itself.