'Boat Refugees' and Migrants at Sea: A Comprehensive Approach Integrating Maritime Security with Human Rights
23 June 2014 - 24 June 2014
Time: 9:00am - 6:30pm
Venue: Senate House, Malet St, London WC1E 7HU
The Refugee Law Initiative, University of London, and the Department of Law at Queen Mary University of London, with the financial support of the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES) and the Human Rights Consortium (HRC) at the School of Advanced Study presents a conference titled '"Boat Refugees" and migrants at sea: a comprehensive approach - integrating maritime security with human rights'.
This conference aims to comprehensively address the contemporary phenomenon of ‘boat migration’ with a holistic approach. We will consider its multiple facets, combining knowledge from several disciplines and regions of the world, with a view to making a decisive contribution to our understanding of current trends, against the background of the fragmentary responses adopted and innumerable tragedies occurred thus far.
The final goal is to unpack the tension between security concerns and human rights in this context. Therefore, our joint reflections will build on recent developments in law and case law regarding the applicability of human rights at sea and take account of past and present policy experiences to help placing on-going discussions within a comprehensive framework. The objective is to trigger an inter-regional and multidisciplinary dialogue with contributions from Law of the Sea, maritime security, migration and refugee studies, and human rights, to address the position of ‘migrants at sea’ from an integrated perspective, bridging current gaps in knowledge and policy responses, ranging from how to conceptually categorise ‘boat migrants’, to how to respond to differing needs and entitlements and how to reconcile them with State obligations and security constraints.
The conference is projected following a logical flow, which starts with the joint identification of the subject matter, moving on to the analysis of core issue-areas and policy initiatives adopted in the EU and beyond, and closing with the identification of outstanding problems, pointing the way ahead in which research should move to contribute to the development of sustainable policy, mindful of both State interests and the rights of refugees and migrants. Attention will be drawn to the instruments, actors and institutions involved to yield insights on how migration by sea has been and should be governed. To this end, each session will regroup panelists from a variety of backgrounds, who will be asked to deal with a common question.
Draft Programme
Day One
- 09:00 - Registration
- 09:15 - Welcome by host institutions
- Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas (Head of Department of Law, Queen Mary University of London)
- Dr David Cantor (Director, Refugee Law Initiative, University of London)
- 09:30 - Keynote address
- Professor Guy S Goodwin-Gill, All Souls College, University of Oxford (confirmed)
- 10:00 - Panel 1: Who is the ‘boat migrant’? A multi-disciplinary approach
- Chair: Professor Elspeth Guild, University of Nijmegen and Queen Mary University of London (confirmed)
- Professor Tom Obokata, Keele University (confirmed)
- Dr Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen, AHRI (confirmed)
- Dr Irini Papanicolopulu, University of Glasgow and Senior Research Fellow, University of Milano-Bicocca (confirmed)
- Tamara Last, VU University Amsterdam
- Remarks by Chair and Q&A
- 11:45 - Coffee
- 12:00 - Panel 2: The ‘boat migrant’ and illegality at sea: security and law-enforcement issues
- Chair: Professor Maria Gavouneli, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (confirmed)
- Professor Natalie Klein, Macquarie Law School, Sydney (confirmed)
- Dr Jasmine Coppens, University of Gent (confirmed)
- Dr Douglas Guilfoyle, University College London (confirmed)
- Kathleen S Goddard, Institute of Maritime Law, University of Southampton (confirmed)
- Remarks by Chair and Q&A
- 13:45 - Lunch
- 14:45 - Panel 3: Needs and entitlements of refugees and migrants at sea: Human rights and international protection obligations
- Chair: Professor Françoise Tulkens, former judge European Court of Human Rights (confirmed)
- Dr Maarten Den Heijer (confirmed)
- Professor Richard Barnes, University of Hull (confirmed)
- Mariagiulia Giuffré, Edge Hill University (confirmed)
- Kris Pollet, European Council of Refugees and Exiles (confirmed)
- Remarks by Chair and Q&A
- 16:30 - Coffee
- 16:45 - Panel 4: Policy responses to ‘boat migration’: A global perspective
- Chair: Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas, Queen Mary University of London (confirmed)
- Dr Patricia Mallia and Dr Jean-Pierre Gauci, University of Malta (confirmed)
- Hervé Caniard, acting Head of the Legal Unit, FRONTEX (confirmed)
- Professor Niels Frenzen, University of Southern California (confirmed)
- Dr Claire Higgins, UNSW Australia (confirmed)
- Remarks by Chair and Q&A
- 18:30 - Drinks reception
- 20:00 - Speakers’ dinner
Day Two
- 09:30 - Panel 5: Policy responses to ‘boat migration’: Inter-agency and multi-purpose mechanisms
- Chair: Dr Rosalie Balkin, Assistant Secretary-General & Director, Legal Affairs and External Relations Division, International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
- Sumbul Rizvi, Head of Unit, Asylum and Migration, DIP, UNHCR, Geneva (confirmed)
- Jan de Boer, Senior Legal Officer, International Maritime Organisation (IMO), London (confirmed)
- Bernd Hemingway, Regional Director for the European Economic Area, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Brussels (confirmed)
- Meltem Ineli Ciger, University of Bristol (confirmed)
- Remarks by Chair and Q&A
- 11:15 - Coffee
- 11:30 - Panel 6: Identifying gaps and challenges: Indicating the way forward
- Chair: Professor Bernard Ryan, University of Leicester (confirmed)
- Claus Folden, Head of Operational Support, European Asylum Support Office (confirmed)
- Ann-Charlotte Nygard, Programme Manager, Freedoms and Justice Department, Fundamental Rights Agency (confirmed)
- Lilian Tsourdi and Alice Bloomfield (ULB/Odysseus) (confirmed)
- Dr Anja Klug, UNHCR (confirmed)
- Remarks by Chair and Q&A
- 13:15 - Conclusions, publication plans and farewell by convenors
- Dr Violeta Moreno-Lax (Queen Mary University of London and Refugee Law Initiative, University of London)
- Dr Efthymios Papastavridis (University of Athens and Refugee Law Initiative, University of London)
Conference Dinner
The conference dinner is generously sponsored by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Law.
Convenors
- Dr Violeta Moreno-Lax, Queen Mary University of London
- Dr David Cantor, Refugee Law Initiative
- Dr Efthymios Papastavridis, Refugee Law Initiative
Directions
Download directions to the venue: ‘Boat Refugees’ and Migrants at Sea: A Comprehensive Approach Integrating Maritime Security with Human Right [PDF 1,113KB].
Senate Room, School of Advanced Study, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU
How to Book
To register, please visit the University of London eshop. Please note that places are limited so early booking is recommended.
Fees
- Standard Registration - £90.00
- UACES members - £70.00
- Students - £60.00
Contact
For more information, please contact lawevents@qmul.ac.uk.
Accommodation suggestions
- The Euro Hotel * * *
- Ibis Euston St Pancras * * *
- Mentone Hotel B&B * * *
- Regency House Hotel * * *
- Travelodge Hotels (Euston and Covent Garden) * *
- Tavistock Hotel * *
Photography, video and audio recording
Please note that Department of Law events may be photographed or video and audio recorded. These materials will be used for internal and external promotional purposes only by Queen Mary University of London. If you object to appearing in the photographs, please let our photographer know on the day. Alternatively you can email lawevents@qmul.ac.uk in advance of the event that you are attending.