State cooperation preventing access to asylum

How does international law hold two or more states jointly responsible for treatment of asylum seekers? Can responsibility be divided and tailored? Can states and private companies share responsibility?

States are increasingly cooperating to prevent access to asylum in more affluent parts of the world. Perhaps intentionally, these policies significantly challenge the existing refugee and human rights protection regime, still largely tied to notions of territory and (single) state responsibility.

This project investigates the policies of the European Union, United States and Australia. It raises two main questions. The first is legal: to what extent can international refugee and human rights law norms apply to international cooperation in the field of migration control and asylum processing? The second is more theoretical: what does the interplay between normative commitments and policy practices in this area tell us about the role of international law in shaping refugee policies?

Partners

Aarhus University Department of Law

Funding

Co-funded with Aarhus University Department of Law