International Norms of Asylum and Burden-Sharing: A Case Study of Bangladesh and the Rohingya Refugee Population

Seven decades after the adoption of the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, how strong are the norms that the Convention was expected to institutionalize? We answer this question through the prism of the Rohingya refugee situation in Bangladesh. Using field research data and news analysis, we find that both the state of Bangladesh and the Rohingya refugees are caught up in a challenging situation. Even though Bangladesh has largely cooperated with the UN, upheld the principle of non-refoulement, and provided services to the refugees, the Rohingya continue to live displaced lives. Our article illuminates both the successes and the ongoing challenges that the global refugee regime faces. The Bangladesh-Rohingya case shows us that refugee norms have been widely accepted, but unevenly applied. Collective responsibility-sharing, which is a necessary pillar of an effective global refugee regime, is lacking. We conclude that international refugee regime is marked by responsibility-shifting, rather than responsibility-sharing.