The 1969 African Refugee Convention: Innovations, Misconceptions, and Omissions

Abstract

This paper provides a critical overview of the 1969 African refugee convention, beginning with a survey of its legal innovations. It then addresses the most misunderstood of them—the unique refugee definition—in depth, with an emphasis on dispelling the common misconception that it is particularly expansive. Finally, it investigates the 1969 Convention’s silence regarding refugees’ civil and political, and socio-economic rights, and how it works as the “regional complement” to the 1951 global refugee convention in that regard.Cet article donne un aperçu critique de la convention sur les réfugiés africains de 1969, débutant par un survol de ses innovations juridiques. Il aborde ensuite la plus incomprise d'entre elles—son unique définition de réfugié—en profondeur, en mettant l'accent sur la dissipation de l'idée fausse, mais très répandue, que cette définition est particulièrement large. Enfin, l’article examine le silence de la Convention de 1969 sur les droits civils et politiques ainsi que socio-économiques des réfugiés, et la façon dont elle fonctionne comme le complément « régional » à la convention mondiale des réfugiés de 1951 à cet égard

Asylum seekers' experiences in Australia between 2012 and 2014: The Structural-Personal Interaction Process

“…18 Regarding civil and political rights, the Refugee Convention states that asylum seekers are entitled to equal treatment as non-nationals, as a minimum. This aligns with the view that this thesis presents in Chapter Three that Australia is not obligated to (Marshall 2011a;Sharpe 2012;Turner 1994;Wallace 1996) 18 Non-refoulement (Article 32, Refugee Convention, United Nations General Assembly 1951) refers to a right of an asylum seeker not to be returned to his/her home country or another country if his/her safety would be in danger there.…”

“…Chapter Two An account of human rights 46 not include people who might be considered refugees including those who flee their homes due to natural disasters and climate change (Ramlogan 1996;Salcedo Mesa 2007); those experiencing non-persecutory violence (Hyndman and Nylund 1998;Sharpe 2012;Turner 1994; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 2006); it does not extend to internally displaced people (Lee 2001); and lacks sensitivity to gender-based claims of persecution in the definition of refugees (Harvey 2000;Pomeroy 2010;Wallace 1996). Guidelines, regional agreements, region specific processing arrangements, institution of refugee organisations, and ongoing dialogue have been established to address these concerns regarding the refugee convention (Harvey 2000;Hyndman and Nylund 1998;Lee 2001;Pomeroy 2010;Ramlogan 1996;Salcedo Mesa 2007;Sharpe 2012;Turner 1994; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 2006; Wallace 1996).…”

“…Guidelines, regional agreements, region specific processing arrangements, institution of refugee organisations, and ongoing dialogue have been established to address these concerns regarding the refugee convention (Harvey 2000;Hyndman and Nylund 1998;Lee 2001;Pomeroy 2010;Ramlogan 1996;Salcedo Mesa 2007;Sharpe 2012;Turner 1994; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 2006; Wallace 1996). 17 Others claim that the Refugee Convention is unclear and allows for too much leeway in its application at a domestic level, often resulting in poor treatment or unfair processes for asylum seekers in many parts of the world (Arboleda and Hoy 1993;North and Chia 2006;Phuong 2002).…”

Seeing Like a Refugee Agency: A Short History of UNHCR Classifications in Central Africa (1961–2015)

“…This new definition expressly incorporated generalized violence as a cause for flight (Rutinwa 2002;Okoth-Obbo 2001;Sharpe 2012). Some 20 years after the creation of the UNHCR, international refugee law remained the dominant mode for ordering refugees.…”

Survival Migration

“…In Africa, Latin America, and Europe supplementary regional conventions have been developed that expand the definition of a refugee. For example, the 1969 Organization of African Unity (OAU) Convention on Refugee Problems in Africa extends the definition to cover people fleeing external aggression, occupation, foreign domination, and events seriously disturbing public order (Goodwin-Gill and McAdam 2007, 37;Sharpe 2012). Likewise, international human rights law standards have gradually been recognized as a potential source of "complementary protection" to protect people fleeing desperate circumstances that fall outside the framework of the 1951 convention (McAdam 2007).…”