History of asylum and Ofpra
The first international refugee status was created following World War I (1914-18), and Ofpra has been protecting refugees and stateless persons since 1952.
We invite you to follow this journey on our historical timeline!
This chronology focuses on the history of the refugee status in France during the 20th and 21st centuries. It summarises the main texts adopted by France, the international and national institutions created for the protection of refugees, and the nationalities making the most frequent asylum requests, as well as the major events which have played a key role in these applications. It is important to note that there is not always a correlation between the rate of applications and an historic event.
Découvrez les années 1960
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Protocol Concerning Refugee Status (known as the Bellagio Protocol) signed in New York on 31 January 1967.
It lifts the temporal and geographic restrictions included in the 1951 Convention (“events in Europe before 1 January 1951”).
Coup d’état in Greece: the Greek exiles who ask for OFPRA’s protection between 1967 and 1980 will be protected, either on the basis of the HCR mandate (which does not follow the temporal and geographic limitations of the Geneva Convention), or, from 1971 onwards, on the basis of Article 1A2 of the Geneva Convention when France removes the temporal and geographic limitations.
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Suppression of the Prague Spring by Soviet troops. Antisemitic suppression in Poland.
In September 1968 Ofpra moves again, this time to Neuilly sur Seine, at 159-161 Avenue de Neuilly, in a building which it shares with the French delegation of the HCR.
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On 10 September 1969 the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) adopts the Convention Governing the Specific Aspect of Refugee Problems in Africa.