THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE RECOGNITION AND PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF REFUGEES IN THE CONTEXT OF NANSEN PASSPORTS

Abstract

The text explores the legal framework surrounding the recognition and protection of refugee rights, focusing specifically on the context of the Nansen Passport. This document, named after Fridtjof Nansen, was a document used by refugees and the stateless within the framework of the work of the League of Nations, as a travel document for the identification of this category of persons, giving them certain rights and protection.
The recognition and protection of the rights of refugees according to this document faced various challenges and limitations, including the refusal of some countries to accept its importance, which reflected negatively of freedom of movement and rights to healthcare and education for refugees. Additionally, there were restrictions regarding the time frame of validity of this travel document, leaving this category of persons without proper identification and vulnerable to further displacement or exploitation due to lack of legal status. Considering these challenges and limitations, our aim will be, through the analysis of the legal framework around the recognition and protection of the rights of refugees, to present the positive fundamental principles established from the Nansen passport, The authors in this paper will focus on the specific rights and protection that this document provides, and include social protection services, employment opportunities, human rights protection and mobility.
The authors of this paper, through an analysis of the content of the provisions of international legal legislation and agreements that were in force during the Nansen Passport, the Convention of the League of Nations relating to the Status of Refugees, will provide an overview of the role of states in the implementation of these provisions , as well as for the identification of gaps and inconsistencies in the legal framework , with the intention of understanding the degree of protection given to refugees. Also of no less importance will be the floor assessment the influence that the Nansen passport had in shaping other subsequent international agreements such as the Refugee Convention of 1951.