Refugee Law Initiative

14/10/2026

We are pleased to announce that registrations are now open for the 10th Annual Refugee Law Initiative Conference.

The Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) Annual Conference will be held in-person in 2027 from Monday 14 June to Wednesday 16 June at Senate House, University of London. Coinciding with Refugee Week, the RLI Conference offers a dedicated annual forum internationally to share and debate the latest research and cutting-edge developments in refugee protection.

This year’s dedicated conference theme – ‘Access to Refugee Protection in a Fragmenting World’ – reflects on how contemporary changes to global and national orders are impacting on where and how refugees and asylum-seekers can access meaningful protection.

The world is turning. Protracted wars, an incipient global recession, a rising tide of nationalist political populism and hostility towards refugees and a growing distrust of international law and institutions all raise questions about the future of access to refugee protection. There is an urgent need to confront the potentially game-changing implications of these and other contemporary trends for refugee law, policy and practice. Can the old structures and ways of working survive? Is it better that they are replaced? What might supersede them? How can researchers and practitioners productively shape these near futures?

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

On both “thematic” and “open” subjects, we invite proposals for individual papers and for panels.

Read more about the theme, instructions for proposals on papers, panels and posters, and take advantage of the earlybird special at the following link:

https://rli.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/access-refugee-protection-fragmenting-world-10th-annual-rli-conference

School of Advanced Study, University of London

08/10/2026

We would like to invite you to our online launch event of the New RLI Declaration on International Protection "Minimum Legal Standards for Asylum Procedures"

Date: Tuesday 3 November

Time: 17.00 (UK Time)

Online only

This virtual panel launches the new 2026 Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) Declaration on Internal Protection: “Minimum Legal Standards for Asylum Procedures”. The supporting analytical paper on “International Law and the Procedural Standards for Determining Asylum Claims”, authored by a working group of international experts, will be launched in tandem.

International protection depends on access to fair and effective procedures for determining claims for asylum. Procedures that are inaccessible or incapable of properly determining asylum claims put claimants at risk of refoulement and other unlawful harms and deny them the benefits of legal treatment as a refugee. They also put States at risk of breaching their obligations under international law. As many States implement ever more restrictive asylum procedures and barriers to accessing them, there is a need for greater legal certainty as to the minimum procedural requirements that apply as a matter of international law.

In the new RLI Declaration, we outline the set of minimum international legal standards that apply to the procedures through which States receive and examine asylum claims. The content of this Declaration will be of interest to governments that receive asylum claims, the courts and tribunals that review their legality, the asylum claimants who are subject to these procedures and to the broader community of refugee and human rights law scholars.

The launch event will involve presentations regarding the Declaration from three of the contributing experts, a response from an external UNHCR commentator and time for questions and comments from the wider participating audience.

Speakers:

- Prof. David James Cantor (RLI Director) – introduction and moderation

- Prof. Hugo Storey (RLI and Kaldor Centre) – key points from the Declaration

- Prof. Madalina Moraru (University of Bologna) – key points from study

- Elise Currie-Roberts (UNHCR) – external view of significance of Declaration

Both the Declaration and the supporting analytical paper will be published on the RLI website and, with free access for a defined period, in the International Journal of Refugee Law. They will be made available for download during the launch event.

This panel is online, public and open to all. Prior registration is required via the RLI website.

Register here: https://rli.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/minimum-legal-standards-asylum-procedures-new-rli-declaration-international-protection-launch-event

05/10/2026

It's not too late to register for the 17th International Refugee Law Seminar Series: British Political Parties and Refugee Policy: Past and Present Directions.

Come along to tomorrow's event and hear a panel of impressive speakers who will share on where the Labour Party stands on Refugee and Migration Policy.

Speakers:

Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, Labour Party member of House of Lords

Enver Solomon, Chair of NACRO, former CEO of the Refugee Council

Marley Morris, IPPR Associate Director of Migration, Trade and Communities

Zoe Bantleman, Immigration Law Expert

Date: Tuesday 6 October

Time: 6:30PM

Venue: Council Chamber, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Charles Clore House 17 Russell Square London WC1B 5DR

This is an in-person event and a drinks reception will follow. It is a free event but registration is required.

Learn more and register to attend here: https://rli.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/where-does-labour-party-stand-refugee-migration-policy-history-future

This is a joint event hosted by Refugee Law Initiative and History & Policy.

The Labour Party

School of Advanced Study - University of London

30/09/2026

We are pleased to invite you to our 17th International Refugee Law Seminar Series: British Political Parties and Refugee Policy: Past and Present Directions.

Come along and hear a panel of impressive speakers who will share on where the Labour Party stands on Refugee and Migration Policy.

Speakers:
Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, Labour Party member of House of Lords
Enver Solomon, Chair of NACRO, former CEO of the Refugee Council
Marley Morris, IPPR Associate Director of Migration, Trade and Communities
Zoe Bantleman, Immigration Law Expert

Date: Tuesday 6 October
Time: 6:30PM
Venue: Council Chamber, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Charles Clore House 17 Russell Square London WC1B 5DR

This is an in-person event and a drinks reception will follow. It is a free event but registration is required.

Learn more and register to attend here: https://rli.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/where-does-labour-party-stand-refugee-migration-policy-history-future

This is a joint event hosted by Refugee Law Initiative and History & Policy.

The Labour Party
School of Advanced Study - University of London

22/09/2026

New on the

'Between Afghanistan and Germany: Rebuilding Belonging Across Borders' by Deba Ahmadi.

Available here: https://rli.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2026/09/21/between-afghanistan-and-germany-rebuilding-belonging-across-borders/

17/09/2026

On 15 September 2026, Professor Sarah Singer, Professor of Refugee Law at the Refugee Law Initiative, gave evidence to the Immigration and Asylum Bill Committee alongside Jacqueline (Jacqui) McKenzie, Partner at Leigh Day Solicitors.

The Committee is scrutinising the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026, with the session covering a number of significant areas, including:
• the proposed Independent Immigration Appeals Authority (IIAA), which would replace the existing First-tier Immigration and Asylum Tribunal;
• proposed changes to the interpretation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR); and
• provisions concerning a new protection status and the recovery of asylum support costs.

Professor Singer also raised concerns about the level of detail currently provided in parts of the Bill, particularly where further regulations would be required to give effect to proposed changes.

Read the the full overview of the evidence session here: https://rli.sas.ac.uk/news-events/news/professor-sarah-singer-gives-evidence-parliamentary-immigration-asylum-bill-committee

View the full talk here: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/9b7f7aa9-eb60-447a-ac5e-8a0d01c7761f

Professor Sarah Singer gives evidence to Joint Committee on Human Rights

17/09/2026

New on the

'Refugees are made by States: the politics behind the application of international law' by Pierre G. Van Wolleghem

Available to read here 👉️ https://rli.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2026/09/15/refugees-are-made-by-states-the-politics-behind-the-application-of-international-law/

17/09/2026

New on the

'From Military Rule to Arakan Army: The Dilemma of Rohingya Repatriation' by Sakhawat Sajjat Sejan and Raspiatur Rashpi

Available to read here 👉️ https://rli.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2026/09/14/from-military-rule-to-arakan-army-the-dilemma-of-rohingya-repatriation/

16/09/2026

New on the

'Between Protection and Precarity: Progress, Limits and Deficiencies of Asylum Governance in Taiwan' by Yen-Rong Lai and Lili Song.

Available to read here 👉️ https://rli.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2026/09/09/between-protection-and-precarity-progress-limits-and-deficiencies-of-asylum-governance-in-taiwan/

16/09/2026

New on the Blog

'The Nepalese Flood is a Call to Action' by Rachel Bryce

Available to read here👉️ https://rli.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2026/09/08/the-nepalese-flood-is-a-call-to-action/