The 1951 Refugee Convention recently marked its 75th anniversary. A reflection on the future of refugee protection, and India’s role in shaping it, is merited. Long before a modern refugee protection regime emerged, the institution of asylum embodied the humanitarian tradition of protecting refugees. This found expression in the 1951 Convention, adopted in response to the displacement that followed World War II. The Convention enshrined the principle of non-refoulement: States must not send refugees back to territories where their lives or freedom are under threat. Today, refugee crises, from Myanmar to Ukraine, continue to test the resilience of the framework. Is the world ready to renew the commitment that gave birth to the Convention?

The Convention’s legal framework has demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt — through interpretation, State practice, and regional........

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