Comparing Refugee Recognition Regimes
A main focus of RefMig research is to examine institutional practices that seek to distinguish refugees from migrants. We take a purposefully broad conception of refugee recognition, encompassing not only individual refugee status determination (RSD) but also the institutional processes that determine access to RSD (registration, admissability processes etc.), as well as prima facie and group determination. We examine the role of state institutions in this context (bureaucracies, legislatures, and the judiciary), as well as UNHCR’s mandate RSD practices, and its handovers to state authorities. The strand looks at these practices globally, as well as by developing in-depth comparative case studies in Turkey, Lebanon, Kenya and South Africa.
In addition to the core countries that the RefMig team have focused on we have commissioned a series of country reports to be prepared for spring 2021.
• Brazil - Professor Liliana Jubilut - Professor at the Postgraduate Programme in Law at Universidade Católica de Santos
• Niger – Laura Lambert, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
• Egypt – Dr Martin Jones, Senior lecturer, Centre for Applied Human Rights, University of York
• Jordan – Dr Lewis Turner, Lecturer in International Politics, Newcastle University & Samia Qumri, Academic and Practitioner
• Uganda – Dr Chris Nolan and David Tshimba, Refugee Law Project, University of Makerere
• Malaysia – Dr Alice Nah, Lecturer at the Centre for Applied Human Rights, University of York
On Thursday 28th January 2021 RefMig is holding a virtual developmental workshop where authors will discuss their draft reports. The aim is to comparatively introduce key issues / problems identified in different countries refugee recognition regimes and provide useful input to the final country reports. Papers will be shared with workshop participants only and are not to be circulated further at this stage.