The Reception and Legitimacy of the International Refugee Regime in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Day 2 - Tuesday 4th June 2019, Panel Session III, Stream 2 "Protection of Refugees in Southeast Asia: Indonesia's Laws and Policies in Regional Context"

The international refugee regime as it stands today rests on two key pillars: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (the Refugee Convention). In Southeast Asia, most states have not ratified the Refugee Convention. Nevertheless, most states have allowed the presence of UNHCR offices in their country and have given the UNHCR full participation in the region's Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (the Bali Process). This suggests that the work of the UNHCR is accepted and thus seen as legitimate by Southeast Asian countries, while the Refugee Convention is not. This therefore raises questions about the reception and legitimacy of the two pillars of the international refugee regime in Southeast Asia. Show more