Introduction Relevant International Standards The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereto are the foundation of the international refugee protection regime. The Convention, originally put in place to protect post-World War refugees in Europe, provides an internationally accepted definition of who qualifies as a refugee and who does not (for example, war criminals). It specifies certain rights that accrue to all those who qualify as refugees, some of which are: the rights to access employment, housing, education, public relief and assistance, freedom of religion, access to courts, movement, identification and travel documents. The Convention also restricts contracting States from certain actions, such as: discrimination, imposition of taxes different to those of nationals, and imposition of penalties on refugees who have entered illegally if they present themselves to authorities without delay. The cornerstone of the Convention is the principle of non-refoulement, now considered international law applicable even to non-contracting States, which prohibits forcible return of the refugees to the country from which they have fled. The 1967 Protocol removes all geographic limitations from the original Convention. The 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, along with UN’s Campaign to end Statelessness provide the foundation for the international regime to end statelessness. The 1954 Convention, signed against the backdrop of the 1948 Universal Human Rights Declaration which stated that everyone has the right to a nationality, provides the legal definition of who qualifies as a stateless person, and who does not (for example, war criminals). It also specifies certain minimum rights that accrue to all those who qualify as stateless persons, including but not limited to: the rights to education, employment, housing and public relief, all on par with nationals. They are also entitled to identification and travel documents, and administrative assistance, and to generally be accorded the same treatment as is given to other aliens generally. The 1954 Convention also specifies that stateless persons are not to be expelled, except on grounds of national security or public order. The 1964 Convention furthers the provisions of the 1954 Convention and specifies certain measures to reduce the incidence of global statelessness. States are to grant nationality to all persons, otherwise stateless, who are born in their territory, and are also prohibited from depriving people of their nationality rendering them stateless. xxix