The Externalisation of Refugee Policies in Australia and Europe: The Need for a Comparative Interdisciplinary Approach
Prato, 12-13 June 2019
Efforts by major destination countries to evade their obligations to refugees and other non-citizens are leading to the creation of burgeoning detention regimes on the periphery of the Global North. However, as states increasingly seek external solutions, it is clear that serious comparative and interdisciplinary research is needed. On 12 -13 June, the GDP’s Michael Flynn attended a scholars-advocacy meeting and conference organised by CONREP (the Comparative Network on Refugee Externalisation Policies) in Prato, exploring research and policy in the area. Flynn’s presentation, “Crisis and Opportunity? On the Externalisation of Immigration Detention,” explored some unexpected opportunities in promoting the rights of detained migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees—including notably through the work of UN human rights mechanisms—that are a direct result of externalisation efforts.
