in addition to containing the elements of the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, includes among
refugees persons who have fled their country because their lives, safety or freedom have been threatened
by generalized violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, massive violation of human rights or other
circumstances which have seriously disturbed public order.194
The reference to the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol implies that persons who have a
nationality must be unable or unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of the country of
their nationality.
The Cartagena Declaration thus protects persons who are de jure or de facto stateless. In the
case of persons who are de facto stateless, “valid reasons” for refusing protection are having a
well-founded fear of being persecuted on one of the five grounds enumerated in the 1951
Convention/1967 Protocol, or fleeing the country of nationality because one’s life, safety or
freedom has been threatened by generalized violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts,
massive violation of human rights or other circumstances which have seriously disturbed
public order.
2004 EU Qualification Directive
The EU Qualification Directive protects persons falling within a similar refugee definition to
that of the 1951 Convention/1967 Protocol195 and also
a third country national or a [de jure] stateless person who does not qualify as a refugee but in respect of
whom substantial grounds have been shown for believing that the person concerned, if returned to his or
her country of origin, or in the case of a [de jure] stateless person, to his or her country of former habitual
residence, would face a real risk of suffering serious harm … and is unable, or, owing to such risk,
unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country196
Such a person is termed a “person eligible for subsidiary protection.”
The Qualification Directive thus protects persons who are de jure or de facto stateless. In the
case of persons who are de facto stateless, “valid reasons” for refusing protection are having a
well-founded fear of being persecuted on one of the five grounds enumerated in the
Directive, or otherwise being at real risk of suffering serious harm in the country of
nationality.
11.4 Inability to avail oneself of protection
Being unable to avail oneself of protection implies circumstances that are beyond the will of
the person concerned. Such inability may be caused either by the country of nationality
refusing its protection, or by the country of nationality being unable to provide its protection
194
195
196
Paragraph 3 of the Cartagena Declaration. The enduring relevance of the Cartagena Declaration was
recognized in the 2004 Mexico Declaration and Plan of Action.
See Article 2(c) of the Qualification Directive, which defines a refugee as “a third country national who,
owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion
or membership of a particular social group, is outside the country of nationality and is unable or, owing to
such fear, is unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country, or a stateless person, who,
being outside of the country of former habitual residence for the same reasons as mentioned above, is
unable or, owing to such fear, unwilling to return to it ...”
Article 2(e) of the Qualification Directive.
64
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