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Research guide Refugees

Refugees - Research Guide International Law

The United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 defines a refugee as ‘owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country’. The definition of a refugee was expanded by the Convention’s 1967 Protocol and by regional conventions in Africa and Latin America to include persons who had fled war or other violence in their home country. The Protocol ensures that internally diplaced persons can be recognized as refugees as well those who flee from areas because of natural disasters, large scale development projects, etc.

Check our Research Guide on Refugees

Library blog The Architects of Peace

In the context of the European Year of Cultural Heritage and the WW1 Armistice (1918-2018) centenary, the Mundaneum and the Peace Palace are celebrating together “The Architects of Peace”. Peace is not a natural state. Peace is about a long and laborious construction process. All around Europe, through the years, different heritage sites tell the story of men and women who’ve worked towards designing peace and hence, contributing to what makes Europe today. A place with no war for the last seven decades and awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2012.

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News and events ‘Lay Down Your Arms!’ in Every Bookcase

Everyone knows: without Bertha von Suttner the would be no Peace Palace. Her world famous book Lay Down Your Arms! has been instrumental in the creation of the PCA, the establishment of the Peace Palace and the peace movement. It has therefore been a foundation for the message of peace that the Peace Palace still carries out every day. Her work however is not widely read (in Dutch). The Dutch translation of Lay Down Your Arms! Dates back to 1925 and has become virtually unreadable. For that reason, the Peace Palace Library wishes to publish a modern rephrasing of Lay Down Your Arms! in honour of Bertha von Suttner’s 175th birthday.
Could Trump and Kim agree to a Peace Treaty ending the Korean War?

We welcome all students of the The Hague Academy of International Law’s summer courses, first period 9 July – 27 July (Public International Law) and second period 30 July -17 August (Private International Law). The coming six weeks, the library will serve as the Academy’s ‘home library’, providing the students with access to all books, articles, essays and documentation on international law available in either paper or electronic format. In this Library special, we present you all relevant information. Our July and August Newsletters will be entirely devoted to the coming summer courses, so stay tuned!

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. In addition to substantial natural resources, the South China Sea is of paramount strategic significance to the Asian security paradigm and to global stability. We have created a Library Special on this topic in order to provide you easy access to our collection: a selective bibliography, newsletters, books, articles and online resources.