The Principle of Non-Refoulement and the Obligations of the United Nations in Ensuring the Accountability of States toward Refugee Protection

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the Second World War, humanity has witnessed several challenges in the maintenance of global peace and justice and in the protection of refugees and asylum seekers, thus resulting from the outbreak of conflicts and threats posed by terrorist groups. These conflicts are classified into national and international conflicts. The impact of conflicts and inter-tribal wars between states or nations has witnessed a new form of migration from the twentieth century commonly referred to as refugee migration. This paper aims to analyse the principle of non-refoulement under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the obligations of the United Nations in ensuring the accountability of state parties toward the protection of refugees or displaced persons within their respective territories, with lessons from Nigeria and Cameroon. The paper argues that state parties to the said treaty are bound to protect everyone who is subject within their respective jurisdictions particularly, refugees and displaced persons. Effective protection is a necessary measure for ensuring that states follow the affirmative legal obligations undertaken after the ratification of the Refugee Convention. It is also an important approach for evaluating the credibility of the United Nations in accomplishing its objective toward peace, justice, and the protection of refugees or displaced persons.