The ongoing refugee and migrant crisis in Europe has accelerated the need to find answers for refugee movements. Refugees, Regionalism and Responsibility examines regional cooperation as a potential solution. Through a thorough assessment of past and present regional arrangements concerning refugees, this book considers whether regionalism has resulted in protection and durable solutions for both refugees and participating states.

Penelope Mathew and Tristan Harley critically examine the merits of regional approaches to refugee protection through a detailed examination of five major regions of the world and five regional arrangements. As well as drawing attention to the strengths and weaknesses of regional arrangements on a practical level, this book explores the normative debates regarding refugee protection as a moral imperative, deliberating on why and how responsibility for refugee protection should be shared. It concludes by advocating changes at both regional and global levels to ensure better refugee protection and equitable responsibility-sharing among countries.

This comprehensive and contemporary work will interest both academics and students specializing in law, human rights or the political sciences as well as those studying philosophy who specialize in the study of forced migration. Its eminently practical approach also makes this book prime readership for human rights defenders and advocates as well as policy makers and legislators in the fields of refugee protection and forced migration.

About the Author
Penelope Mathew, President and Human Rights Commissioner, ACT Human Rights Commission and Tristan Harley, Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia

Reviews
'Refugees, Regionalism and Responsibility sets out to critically analyse the extent to which particular regional arrangements have resulted in protection and durable solution for refugees. In my view, it achieves this objective and more through an in-depth presentation of facts and perspectives and a multi-faceted analysis that reviews programmes for their impact on regional dynamics, individual refugees and migrants and other displaced groups.' -- Journal of Refugee Studies
'Refugees, Regionalism and Responsibility serves as an important and timely scholarly analysis of many of the key legal, political and moral arguments surrounding regional responsibility for refugee protection. It should be seen as a key text for students and researchers studying this growing area of refugee and forced migration studies.' -- International Community Law Review
'At a time when the Syrian refugee crisis is engulfing the EU, regional cooperation frameworks for refugee protection are increasingly being seen as the only fitting response to refugee movements. Yet, current examples such as the EU's agreement with Turkey, which came into effect in April 2016, has shown how intractable any regional solution to refugee problems is today. Under this, asylum-seekers returned from Greece are being deported back to their countries without their claims being assessed. This is in stark violation of the fundamental principles of the Refugee Convention. This comprehensive and timely study by renowned experts in the field helps us understand the proper role and function of regional cooperation agreements in a world riven with instability and economic chaos. This is an indispensable work. No one interested in understanding refugee law can afford to be without it.' -- Satvinder Juss, King's College London, UK



Book Information
ISBN 9781782547280
Author Penelope Mathew
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd