Regional Policy Approaches and Harmonization: A Latin American Perspective

There is a growing trend towards the harmonization of norms and procedures in a variety of legal fields, including refugee law. While the 1951 Convention can guide the systematization of current practice, flexibility will often depend on regional realities, values and experiences. Ideally, regional...

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Veröffentlicht in:International journal of refugee law 1998-07, Vol.10 (3), p.389-409
1. Verfasser: ANDRADE, J. H. F. D.
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:There is a growing trend towards the harmonization of norms and procedures in a variety of legal fields, including refugee law. While the 1951 Convention can guide the systematization of current practice, flexibility will often depend on regional realities, values and experiences. Ideally, regional policy approaches to refugee protection should complement this regime, but without neglecting the general principles endorsed by the international community. In this paper, the author examines regional policy approaches and the processes of harmonization. He refers to the different definitions in Latin America with regard to refugees and people in need of international protection, and to existing procedures for determining refugee status in the region. The author takes note of UNHCR's position on the policy of regional harmonization, and refers to the pragmatic approach adopted in the 1984 Cartagena Declaration. In his view, regional harmonization of legislation in Latin America is necessary to avoid conflicts and contradictory solutions to similar problems, and he suggests that both UNHCR and the supervisory organs established under the 1969 American Convention of Human Rights could play a useful role in this area. So far, only a very limited number of countries in Latin America have enacted refugee legislation and established procedures for the formal recognition of refugees, and the author makes a number of recommendations for a regionally harmonized approach, suggesting that it is in the interest of States to avoid unregulated policies.
ISSN:0953-8186
1464-3715
DOI:10.1093/ijrl/10.3.389