28 May 2009: asylum law

Cuenca Colloquium on International Refugee Law, 30 Sept.–3 Oct. 2009

Deadline extended: 20 July 2009

The Cuenca Refugee Law Colloquium has become one of the key venues for an in-depth and stimulating discussion of the development of issues in refugee law and international protection. The objective of the Colloquium is to bring together international experts from the worlds of academia, policy and practice with advanced students (MA, LLM and PhD level) to examine major current issues in refugee law, and the research needs which they reveal. It is designed to provide a clear and complete overview of the current picture of international refugee protection obligations of States and their observance thereof, as well as the rights of individuals in need of international protection. These two perspectives, state obligations and individual rights, provide the pivotal points of the Colloquium.

The 2009 Cuenca Colloquium will focus on the European Union’s Common European Asylum System. This regional focus will permit the examination – from theoretical, legal and practical perspectives – of the meaning and consequences of regional protection systems which accompany and are intended to complement the international refugee protection system developed around the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. The central questions for this year’s Colloquium include:

- What are the key challenges facing the EU’s Common European Asylum System as it enters its second phase?

- How does the EU’s system of refugee protection fit into the international system of refugee law, from the perspective of international solidarity and coherence of protection duties and rights?

Practical Information

The Colloquium invites applications from MA, LLM and PhD students, who have already mastered the fundamental legal principles of international refugee law.

- Applicants must submit a short description (one page) of the research they intend to present, along with their curriculum vitae, and any other pertinent information about their studies and work in the refugee law field.
- To ensure an intensive and collaborative atmosphere, participation is limited to a group of 20.
- Successful applicants will receive a full scholarship for on-site room, board, and tuition. A limited number of students from Latin America, Africa, and Asia may receive funding to help defray their transportation costs.
- The working language will be English.

Applications must be received by 20 July 2009 (deadline extended).

You will find further details on the Curriculum and on the application in the document below.

Cuenca Curriculum 2009 – Call for participants