Fixing the Refugee System

A presentation to the European Society of International Law Amsterdam In this lecture, James Hathaway, Distinguished Visiting Professor of International Refugee Law at UvA, will argue that the time is right to change the way that refugee law is implemented. Specifically, Hathaway advocates a shift towards a managed and collectivized approach to the implementation of refugee protection obligations. He contends that while the obligations under the United Nations Refugee Convention remain sound, the mechanisms for implementing those obligations are flawed in ways that too often lead States to act against their own values and interests, and which produce needless suffering amongst refugees. The speaker will offer a five-point plan to revitalize the Refugee Convention. The lecture is open to all (please register below) and will be followed by a Q&A session. About the speaker Prof. James Hathaway is James E. and Sarah A. Degan Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School and Distinguished Visiting Professor of International Refugee Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Amsterdam. He is a leading authority on international refugee law whose work is regularly cited by the most senior courts of the common law world. He is the founding director of Michigan Law's Program in Refugee and Asylum Law.