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International refugee law
Fundamental tools for the protection of the displaced
International refugee law aims to protect people who seek asylum from persecution and those who have been recognized as refugees. It consists of a number of international and regional legal instruments as well as customary international law applying to all states in the world.
International refugee law overlaps to some extent with international human rights law. Since 1945 a series of international and regional human rights treaties and instruments have been adopted.
This section contains the most important instruments of both of these fields.
Instruments of international refugee law
1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees
1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
International Human Rights instruments
Universal Declaration of Human Rights - 1948
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
