At a time of harder borders and ‘ruthless’ rhetoric, the Refugee Convention is more important than ever

This month marks 75 years since the adoption of the 1951 Refugee Convention on July 28 1951. Negotiated in the aftermath of the second world war, the treaty came into force three years later after Australia became the sixth country to ratify it.

Today, 149 states are parties to the convention and/or its 1967 Protocol, which effectively extended its application beyond the immediate post-war era.