Any questions or requests for information can be sent to our contact address.
About the conference
For the past five years, the BEYOND project has explored how the Refugee Convention resonates beyond its signatories, and how non-signatory states engage with and shape the international refugee regime. As the BEYOND project concludes in 2026—coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention—we are pleased to invite scholars, practitioners, and advocates to a forward-looking conference in Oslo.
Whilst taking stock of the past and present of the Refugee Convention as well as reflecting on its global regime, we envision this conference to look ahead and deliberate on new research trajectories, methodological and theoretical approaches, innovative solutions, and collaborations across disciplines and regions. Here you will reconnect with longstanding colleagues and forge new connections, contributing to a vibrant and enduring community of research and practice in the years ahead.
You will join fellow scholars, practitioners, and advocates to explore the enduring significance and evolving challenges related to refugee protection under international law. As the pivotal legal instrument, the Refugee Convention not only established the definition of a refugee but also laid the groundwork for the pursuit of safety and dignity for millions around the world. In light of existing and emerging forms of displacement and refugeehood, it is imperative to reflect on and examine both the text and the context(s) of the Convention. The Conference will be one step in that direction.
This academic conference will provide a platform for critical engagement with the themes of refugee law, protection mechanisms, and the contemporary landscape(s) of forced displacement. In doing so, it will bring to the fore interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological insights into the workings and effectiveness of the Convention across different geographic domains. Participants will have the opportunity to share research findings, policy analyses, and innovative proposals that address the complexities surrounding refugee protection today. We also hope to bring to the center the voices of refugees who have long been marginalized and excluded from law and its global governance.
Important dates
- Conference dates: 22–23 June, 2026.
- Submission deadline: 15 December, 2025.
- Notification of acceptance: Around 15 January, 2026.
Themes
The conference aims to address a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:
1. Historical perspectives
- The origins and evolution of the Convention
- Key historical events that shaped refugee law
2. Legal analysis
- Interpretation and application of the Convention’s provisions
- Comparative analyses of national and regional asylum systems in light of the Convention
3. Interdisciplinary and critical approaches
- (Re)imagining the Convention with sociology and anthropology; politics, geopolitics and international relations; culture and literature; economics and environment
- TWAIL, postcolonial and decolonial, feminist, socio-legal approaches to examining the Convention
- Refugee voice and agency in law and policy
4. Current challenges
- The Convention and emerging global refugee policy
- The Convention and its relationship to other bodies of international law
- Commitment and compliance with the Convention’s norms
5. Innovative solutions
- Proposals for reforming refugee protection mechanisms
- Institutional engagement with the Convention- the role of international organizations, NGOs, courts and governments
- Litigating the Convention
6. Methodological reflections
- Reflections on methods in refugee law research
- Reflections on teaching and learning refugee law
- Reflections on how academia, advocacy and practice can learn from each other in the research and pedagogy of refugee law
7. Future directions
- The Convention in the context of contemporary displacement
- Looking ahead: Building a more inclusive and effective legal framework for refugee protection
- International, regional, national and local complementarities in law and governance
The BEYOND project
The 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention coincides with the closure of the Protection without Ratification? International Refugee Law beyond States Parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention (BEYOND) project at the University of Oslo. This ERC-funded project explores the influence of the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol in states non-signatory to these instruments. It also studies how these non-signatory states engage with and help create the international refugee regime.