Pacts, Promises and Refugee Protection | 8th Annual RLI Conference

The 8^th Annual Conference of the Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) will be held in-person in 2024 from Monday 3^rd June to Wednesday 5^th June at Senate House, University of London.

The RLI Annual Conference offers a dedicated annual forum internationally to share and debate the latest research and cutting-edge developments in refugee protection. This conference builds on previous annual conferences by uniting academics, practitioners, policy-makers and students to consider pressing challenges in refugee law and policy.

1. 2024 DEDICATED THEME AND PANELS

This year’s dedicated conference theme – ‘Pacts, Promises and Protection’ – interrogates the proliferation across the world of a range of new quasi-legal pacts on refugee protection.

An growing array of quasi-legal pacts between governments (and others) impact on refugee protection today. They include global compacts on refugees and migration, regional pacts like the EU Pact, Dublin Agreement, and Cartagena process, multilateral pacts, including voluntary repatriation agreements and CRRFs, and bilateral pacts, e.g. the UK-Rwanda deal, Italy-Libya deal and US-Canada agreement. They have a complicated relationship to the UN and regional treaties on refugees and human rights that underpin international protection.

What do such quasi-legal pacts mean for the future of refugee protection? How do they shift our understandings of this field of law? What is their impact on the lived experience of refugees? These key questions will be addressed by the ‘thematic’ panels at this year’s conference. Possible topics for proposals for these ‘thematic’ panels could include:

• How do we theorise these quasi-legal pacts and their appeal? How do they shift the existing system of refugee protection? Do existing legal standards limit the content of the pacts? Does their proliferation undermine or strengthen regime coherence?

• What politics underpin these new pacts? To what extent do they reflect refugee interests or participation? What are their wider political and economic implications, e.g. on global/regional politics of refugee protection, human rights, migration etc.?

• How are such pacts implemented in practice? What are their effects on refugees? Do they provide for accountability mechanisms? Are their provisions challengeable before national or international courts? What view do courts take of their legality?

• Which States are creating these new pacts? What role do international organisations and agencies, including at the regional level, play? What about de facto governments or rebel groups, or other non-State actors, such as civil society?

• How do pacts fit with inter-State relations on economic cooperation, development aid, migration and climate change? What are the implications of e.g. readmission agreements or border co-operation, for power relations between States?

• What role can refugee-led and other civil-society organisations play in monitoring of these pacts? How might this play out in specific contexts e.g. domestically in the context of the UK-Rwanda deal or regionally centred on the EU’s new pact?

2. 2024 OPEN THEME PANELS

The remainder of panel slots will be open to ANY topic on law, policy and practice relating to refugees, IDPs, stateless persons and forced migrants. They offer a platform for a broader range of high-quality research in this field. Proposals to these panels can be for law, policy or practice at the international level, in the UK and Europe, or in any other country or region.

3. CALL FOR PROPOSALS – PAPERS, PANELS AND POSTERS

We invite paper and panel proposals (of 3-4 papers) for ‘thematic’ panels and for ‘open’ panels. Proposals must be sent as emailed Word attachments. The subject line of your email must state whether your proposal is for a single paper or a panel and whether it is for the ‘thematic’ or ‘open’ panels. Paper proposals must include an abstract of approx. 300 words and author full name and institutional affiliation. Panel proposals must include the full name and institutional affiliation of each panellist and an abstract of approx. 300 words for each paper included in the panel, as well as the overall rationale. Proposals will be selected by the committee based on quality, relevance, and coherence with other submissions.

We also invite proposals for posters to be presented at the drinks reception (see examples - https://rli.sas.ac.uk/events/rli-annual-conference/second-annual-conference/slides-papers-presented-and-poster). This is a space that newer researchers, taught students, etc. may find more suitable. Proposals not accepted for the panel sessions may be offered a place at the poster session. Please indicate in your email subject line if you are proposing a poster.

Send all proposals to rliconference@sas.ac.uk by Monday 29^th January 2024. Initial decisions will be notified by Monday 12^th February 2024. The decision of the selection committee is final. We welcome proposals from researchers and practitioners at any career stage and from any country, including those with lived experience of displacement.

4. REGISTRATION

All attendees, including presenters, will need to register for this in-person conference. Conference registration for one day only is not available.

Registration for the conference will close on 27 May 2024.

A. Early Bird - booking completed before or on 1^st March 2024: Standard - £150; Student, unemployed etc. - £130; RLI Affiliates (RAs, SRAs, MA Refugee Protection students) - £115

B. Non-Early Bird - booking completed after 1^st March 2024: Standard - £200; Student, unemployed etc. - £170; RLI Affiliates (RAs, SRAs, MA Refugee Protection students) - £150

‘Early bird’ registration opens on Wednesday 15^th November 2023 via the RLI website (www.sas.ac.uk/rli). Early bird tickets are non-refundable.

We strongly encourage registration, with a discounted rate available, by former or current refugees as presenters or participants at the conference. Please contact us at rliconference@sas.ac.uk for further information.

Participants are responsible for making their own visa, travel and accommodation arrangements, which are not included in the registration fee. However, we can provide details for economical hotels close to the conference venue.

When making travel arrangements RLI Affiliates should note that internal RLI working groups may plan to hold meetings after the conference proceedings on 5 June.

A limited number of places are available so please book early to avoid disappointment.