Dr Bríd Ní Ghráinne has published a book with Oxford University Press entitled ‘Internally Displaced Persons and International Refugee Law’.
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are persons who flee their homes for reasons such as war or natural disaster, but who remain within their countries. There are 55 million IDPs in the world today – outnumbering refugees by almost 2:1. Yet, IDPs have traditionally been seen as a domestic issue and received comparably little attention from scholars and the international community. Dr Ní Ghráinne’s book asks, for the first time, to what extent IDP protection complements, conflicts with, or undermines international refugee law. This is a crucial issue, because we are witnessing the highest displacement figures ever recorded, IDPs often cross a border and become refugees, and often improvements in IDP protection have the ulterior motive of curtailing refugee flows, particularly in today’s polarised society.
The book makes several key contributions to our understanding of the IDP/ refugee relationship. In particular, the book (1) analyzes the legal and normative relationship between IDPs and refugees; (2) provides a critical account of how IDP law was created; (3) Explores how an individual's real risk of internal displacement in their country of origin is relevant to the qualification and cessation of refugee status; (4) Examines to what extent the availability of IDP protection measures is an alternative to asylum; (5) Includes a case study on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), specifically examining whether the UNHCR's activities with IDPs undermines its primary mandate towards refugees.
Dr Ní Ghráinne’s book is based on her doctoral thesis, which she completed at the University of Oxford under the supervision of Prof Guy S. Goodwin-Gill. Dr Ní Ghráinne’s research was funded by the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford by way of the Graduate Assistance Fund, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Scholarship, and Peter Birks Scholarship. Her studies were also supported by the National University of Ireland Travelling Studentship in Law, and a number of travel grants from St Antony’s College, University of Oxford. Her book manuscript also benefited from the insightful comments of her examiners, Professors Chaloka Beyani and Cathryn Costello. She completed the manuscript in summer 2021 with research support from Jobitha Prince and Jaya Duignan, two exceptional Summer Programme in Undergraduate Research (SPUR) students.
Although the book was published just last week, it has already been endorsed by two former UN Special Rapporteurs on the Human Rights of IDPs. Walter Kälin has described Dr Ní Ghráinne’s book as ‘highly relevant’ and filling an ‘important gap’. Chaloka Beyani has congratulated Dr Ní Ghráinne for her ‘unique scholarly approach … and sophisticated legal analysis’ and has complimented the book’s ‘well researched perspectives … which the reader will find deeply enriching’.
Leading scholars on IDP and refugee protection have also welcomed the publication of this book. Dr Ben Hudson (University of Exeter) has praised the book as ‘an exceptional piece of legal scholarship dealing with one of the most important global issues of our time … a fascinating, thought-provoking, and highly-recommended read, which speaks not only to law but also to how we define, value and protect human life.’ Dr Madalina Moraru (Masaryk University and European University Institute) has described the monograph as ‘an important milestone’ and that ‘given [its] extremely insightful, thorough, and documented analysis, this monograph will certainly become an indispensable point of reference for anyone following IDP policies and, more generally, international refugee law.’ Dr Megan Bradley (McGill) has complimented the book’s ‘clear and compelling legal analysis’ and recommends the book as ‘essential reading for anyone concerned about the protection of those forced from their homes, whether they be refugees or internally displaced persons."
Further endorsements of the book are available on the book’s webpage. You can read more about Dr Ní Ghráinne’s work on internal displacement and refugee law here.
Dr Bríd Ní Ghráinne is an Assistant Professor at Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology and is an expert in Public International Law, particularly on the topic of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), which refers to the ca. 55 million people who have been forced to flee their homes but who remain within their states.
