On Tuesday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) marked the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the “Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees,” a landmark document that has protected millions of people who have fled crises and violent conflicts since the end of World War II.
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Adopted on July 28, 1951, the Convention is more necessary than ever, UN High Commissioner Barham Salih said, recalling that there are currently 117.8 million people who have been forced to flee the world’s 130 armed conflicts.
“The nations of the world united around a simple but profound idea: no person forced to flee persecution, violence or war should ever be left without protection,” he said in a speech at the UN European headquarters, where the convention was adopted.
The 1951 Convention contained the first legal definition of a refugee and established one of the fundamental principles of refugee protection, the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning a person to a place where they could face persecution or torture.
Salih, himself a refugee who was forced to flee Iraq because of the persecution of the Kurdish minority under Saddam Hussein (1979-2003), acknowledged that the anniversary comes at a time of “increasingly politicized debates” over refugees, who are the target of unfair criticism.
“Too often, people forced to flee become scapegoats for broader social, economic and political problems. They are portrayed as a burden or a threat rather than as human beings. We must have the courage to confront these narratives,” he warned, adding that this should not prevent recognition of the many challenges faced by host countries as they assume “enormous responsibilities.”
The ceremony featured refugees who have gone on to successful careers, including South Sudanese basketball player and former NBA player Wenyen Gabriel, Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini, who competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics as part of the first Refugee Olympic Team, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad.
Currently, 149 states are party to the convention, making it one of the world’s most widely supported international legal frameworks.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
Source: teleSUR English
