The Concept of ‘Imminence’ in the International Protection of Refugees

该项目旨在通过研究“迫近性”的概念，为国际保护法做出贡献。我们正处于一个前所未有的国际流离失所时代；超过5000万人在迁徙。虽然许多人是为了逃离冲突和迫害等传统威胁，但有些人离开是因为他们害怕未来的风险——比如气候变化的影响。这给各国带来了新的挑战，因为传统的难民框架不适合应对。这个项目提出的问题是：如果人们越过边境是为了逃避未来的伤害，那么在另一个国家有义务保护他们之前，伤害需要“迫在眉睫”到什么程度？国际法应该只保护面临立即危险风险的人，还是也应该保护那些面临可能随着时间的推移而缓慢显现的伤害风险的人？

The project aims to contribute to the law on international protection by examining the concept of ‘imminence’. We are in an unprecedented era of international displacement; over 50 million people are on the move. While many are fleeing from traditional threats, such as conflict and persecution, some are leaving because they are scared of future risks – like the impacts of climate change. This creates new challenges for countries because traditional refugee frameworks are ill-suited to respond. The question this project asks is: if people cross a border to escape future harm, how ‘imminent’ does the harm need to be before another country has an obligation to protect them? Should international law protect only people who face the risk of immediate danger, or should it also protect those at risk of harm that may manifest more slowly over time?