At the end of 2020, 149 States were party to the 1951 Convention, its 1967 Protocol, or both. Forty-four members of the United Nations, however, were not party to either of these core instruments. What is the influence of the 1951 Refugee Convention in non-signatory States? How do non-signatory States engage with, and help to create, the international refugee regime? Taking these questions as its starting point, this article aims to chart a new research agenda focusing on the relationship between non-signatory States and the 1951 Convention. It argues that a closer examination of this relationship is necessary to make an informed opinion about the relevance of the 1951 Convention more broadly. By bringing this dimension to the study of international refugee law, it thus seeks to disrupt the emphasis on signatory States in contemporary discussions of the relevance and importance of the 1951 Convention. More concretely, the article argues that the Convention continues to structure States’ responses to refugees, and plays a central role not only in States that are party to the Convention, but also in key non-signatory States. The article details the many ways in which international refugee law norms are spread and used in non-signatory States, and how, by being present and active in global fora such as the UNHCR Executive Committee, and in negotiating soft law instruments drawing on the Convention, these States also participate in the evolution and interpretation of international refugee law.

中文翻译：

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1951 年难民公约和非签署国：制定研究议程

到 2020 年底，有 149 个国家加入了 1951 年公约、其 1967 年议定书或两者兼有。然而，联合国的 44 个成员国并未加入这些核心文书中的任何一个。1951 年《难民公约》对非签署国有何影响？非签署国如何参与并帮助建立国际难民制度？本文以这些问题为出发点，旨在制定一个新的研究议程，重点关注非签署国与 1951 年公约之间的关系。它认为，为了更广泛地对 1951 年公约的相关性提出知情意见，有必要对这种关系进行更仔细的审查。通过将这一维度带入国际难民法的研究中，因此，它试图破坏当代讨论 1951 年公约的相关性和重要性时对签署国的强调。更具体地说，该条认为，《公约》继续构建各国对难民的反应，并且不仅在《公约》缔约国，而且在关键的非签署国中都发挥着核心作用。文章详细介绍了国际难民法规范在非签署国传播和使用的多种方式，以及如何通过在联合国难民署执行委员会等全球论坛上的存在和积极参与，以及如何利用《公约》就软法律文书进行谈判，这些国家也参与了国际难民法的演变和解释。文章认为，《公约》继续构建各国对难民的反应，不仅在《公约》缔约国，而且在关键的非签署国中都发挥着核心作用。文章详细介绍了国际难民法规范在非签署国传播和使用的多种方式，以及如何通过在联合国难民署执行委员会等全球论坛上的存在和积极参与，以及如何利用《公约》就软法律文书进行谈判，这些国家也参与了国际难民法的演变和解释。文章认为，《公约》继续构建各国对难民的反应，不仅在《公约》缔约国，而且在关键的非签署国中都发挥着核心作用。文章详细介绍了国际难民法规范在非签署国传播和使用的多种方式，以及如何通过在联合国难民署执行委员会等全球论坛上的存在和积极参与，以及如何利用《公约》就软法律文书进行谈判，这些国家也参与了国际难民法的演变和解释。