Asylum in the twenty-first century: trends and challenges

Refugees have always existed, the case of the Huguenots – the French Protestants f leeing France in 1685 – being a well-known example in Europe. However, an awareness of the responsibility of the international community to provide protection and a more comprehensive refugee regime emerged only in the aftermath of World War I and World War II in order to deal first and foremost with the post-war refugee movements in Europe. The Nansen Commission, established in 1921 under the auspices of the League of Nations, was the first international framework created to address refugee issues (Barnett 2002).