Refugees’ Protection Policies: An Examination of Multiple UN Policies

Abstract

The global upsurge in the number of refugees is of fundamental concern to the United Nations (UN) at both the nationwide and worldwide levels. There are millions of persons who have been displaced due to regional conflicts. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to offer protection and assist refugees and others of concern as stipulated by the UN General Assembly. The right of refugees as well as others of concern to physical security, which also includes the enjoyment of several fundamental human rights are based on the protection mandate . The aim of this exploratory study is to examine refugees’ protection policies that are embedded in: (1) The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees; (2) 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees; (3) 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa; (4) The Cartagena Declaration; (5) The 1967 Declaration on Territorial Asylum; (6) UNHCR’s Mandate. This study also investigates how States Parties adhere to these conventions and treaties employing refugee protection policies that are embedded in these conventions for the protection of refugees. These Conventions were chosen to be examined in this study because they contain profound refugee protection policies which state the rules and regulations of various refugee protection policies, the perimeter of States Parties to these conventions, and the manner by which UNHCR should enforce its mandate as supervising instruments in making sure that States Parties to these Conventions are implementing these refugee protection policies. This research focuses on refugees in Tanzanian refugee camps. This study employs content and observational methods of refugees’ policies and questioned States’ engagements, arguing that the implementations of refugees’ policies such as these are preeminently seen not as the consequence of the failure of implementation by some States Parties but, somewhat, as socially failed applications of the conventions because of the lack of burden sharing by States. The findings of the study indicate that the majority of States Parties to these conventions abide to these principles but because of the continuous influx of refugees, some States call for burden sharing.