Refugee Rights and Health: The Impact of COVID-19 on Refugee Camps by Nafees Ahmad

In Refugee Rights and Health: The Impact of COVID-19 on Refugee Camps, Nafees Ahmad concludes that

“The reasons for displacement and migration include severe weather conditions, climate change disasters, socio-political crises, conflict, war and struggle for basic necessities for human survival. There are more than 70.8 million people who have been forced to flee their country of origin. Receiving countries are not necessarily ready or in a position to provide protection to those who have been displaced. In order to improve the conditions for forcibly displaced people all over the world, there is an urgency to assess the reasons behind their displacement and migration as the same defines the migration status of [refugees, asylum-seekers, migrants and stateless persons (RAMS)] under international law. In turn, migration status impacts the requirements of countries to grant asylum and provide for the rights to protection and assistance enjoyed by  Thus, the right to health is conceived in multiple terms in different human rights instruments for its protection with a relative degree of commitment. Therefore, the state obligations that arise from the ratification of these instruments must include the unfettered canopy of protection of RAMS during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Ahmad makes recommendations on appropriate actions in this Jurist piece.

KJ