At 75, the Refugee Convention remains a vital framework for protecting people fleeing persecution, but it needs renewed political will and international cooperation to work.

This month marks 75 years since the adoption of the 1951 Refugee Convention on 28 July, 1951. Negotiated in the aftermath of the second world war, the treaty came into force three years later after Australia became the sixth country to ratify it.

Today, 149 states are parties to the convention and/or its 1967 Protocol, which effectively extended its application beyond the immediate post-war era.

Every day, life-saving decisions are made in accordance with the Refugee Convention’s fundamental principles, making it one of the most utilised treaties in the world. It provides a common framework for determining who refugees are and the protections and rights to which they are entitled. This includes:

not removing refugees to any place where they face a well-founded fear of being persecuted

not penalising them for entering a country without valid travel documents

and granting them a legal status that ensures they can rebuild their lives in safety and with dignity.

The Refugee Convention has proven to be remarkably adaptable over its 75-year history.

Yet, at a time of rising geopolitical tensions, accelerating climate impacts and mounting pressure on resources, some claim the Refugee Convention is obsolete. They suggest........

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