On 28 July 1951, in Geneva, the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is adopted — the UN treaty defining who is a refugee and what minimum rights must be ensured.

The Convention bans forced return (non-refoulement) to territories where life or freedom would be threatened and regulates travel documents, work and education.

Initially limited in time and geography to postwar Europe, it was extended by the 1967 Protocol. It remains the pillar of international refugee law.

Adopted under UN auspices amid millions displaced after the Second World War.

For human rights, 28 July 1951 marks the legal birth of the modern refugee regime.

The official text is on the UNHCR site / United Nations Treaty Collection.

The Convention of 28 July 1951 remains the global reference on the status of refugees.

Image: Geneva / refugees; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Treaty text: 1951 Refugee Convention (UNHCR).