Page 15 - SAU Connect March 2020

The Quarterly Newsletter of South Asian University | Volume 4 Issue 3 March 2020

SAU Bookshelf

Jessica Field, Srinivas Burra (eds). The Global Compact on
Refugees: Indian Perspectives and Experiences , (Academicians
WorkingGroup&UNHCRIndia:NewDelhi,2020).
On 17 December 2018, the Global Compact on Refugees was
officially affirmed by the United Nations General Assembly.
India took an active role in contributing to the development of
the Compact and affirmed it, along with the majority of
Member States. The Compact, a non-binding instrument, sets
out to provide a basis for predictable and equitable
responsibility-sharing among all United Nations Member
States. It also emphasises the need for stakeholders to
enhancerefugeeself-relianceinhoststates.WhileIndia is nota
party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and
does not have a national framework for refugee protection, it
grants asylum to a number of refugees from neighbouring
states and has a rich and well-documented history of hosting
refugees. Lately, however, concerns about national security
and shifts in political discourse have had an adversely
restrictiveimpactontheasylumspaceinthecountry.Insuchan
environment,the absence of a uniform legal and administrativeframework for refugees presents serious
protection challenges. Yet, India's recent commitment to the Compact raises hopes about what might
still be achieved. The contributors to this edited collectionwho include legal experts, researchers,
academics and distinguished figures from across India and beyond explore the importanceand relevance
(orirrelevance)oftheGlobalCompactonRefugeesforpresent-dayIndia.

Book Launch

The book “The Global Compact on Refugees:
Indian Perspectives and Experiences”
published by the Academicians Working
Group (AWG) and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) India,
was launched at the India Habitat Centre on
30 January 2020. Along with the editors of
the book Dr Jessica Field and Dr Srinivas
Burra, Mr Oscar Mundia, Chief of Mission,
UNHCR India, Dr Narinder Singh, Former
Additional Secretary, MEA and former
chairman of the International Law Commission (ILC) and Ms Grace Shaidi Mungwe, Deputy Chief of
Mission, UNHCR India spoke on the occasion. The panelists of the discussion on the book included Ms
Maya Mirchandani of Ashoka University, Dr. Bernard D'sami of Loyola College, Chennai, Ms. Hamsa
VijayaraghavanofMigrationandAsylumProjectandMrZubairFarghandofSalaamCulturalForum.

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