05 March 2026
Forays Into Reality
For decades, xenophobia has been relegated to the margins of the UN treaty body system: it was routinely invoked alongside racism but rarely treated as a legal problem in its own right. On February 3, two UN treaty bodies issued two joint interpretative comments on eradicating xenophobia against migrants and others perceived as such. For all their efforts, they dodge the all-important structural tension arising from migration governance: xenophobia is embedded in an international system that recognises the sovereign impulse to police migration not only as a (much critiqued) prerogative but, crucially, as a legitimate objective. Continue reading >>
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03 November 2025
UNTBs Between Authority and Discretion
On 16 October, the Committee on the Rights of the Child published a Report holding France accountable for violations of the rights of unaccompanied migrant children. Moreover, France’s written observations to the Report testify to its persistent deafness. This tension exemplifies the role of the pronouncements of UN Treaty Bodies, which – although non-binding – are designed to guide states in interpreting their treaty obligations. Yet, while some national courts engage in an open dialogue, others turn a deaf ear. Continue reading >>
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