The Right of Refugees to Durable Solutions

This research explores the legal nature of the right of refugees to durable solutions. This right has not been explicitly stated in any international instrument, nor has it been considered systematically in the literature. However, the existence of this right can be found in the combined effect of other legal obligations of States of a diverse legal nature, including the UN Charter, the Refugee Convention, UNGA resolutions, the UNHCR Statute, and ExCom conclusions. The right of refugees to durable solutions will be explored in the context of Iraqi refugees in protracted situations. It will be argued that this is a right of refugees as a matter of international law rather than merely a policy tool at the discretion of the State. For Iraqi refugees, this right is to be materialised in resettlement in a third country, in agreement with the UNHCR that resettlement to third countries is the only possible solution for Iraqi refugees.The findings from this research will make several contributions to the current literature, given the emerging displacements in a number of countries, including Middle Eastern countries, as well as the terrible loss of life of thousands of migrants.

Autorentext

Abdullah is lecturer at the Language Centre at the Erbil Polytechnic University and researcher in Public International Law. He completed a PhD in international refugee law at the University Newcastle, UK. He received his LLM (2010) in public international law from University of Leicester, UK and LL.B (2008) with Honours from University of Derby, UK