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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.
Discover the 2000s
2000's
Année
2000
Paragraphes
Texte riche
Creation of the European
Refugee
Fund (
ERF
), to finance the reception and integration of refugees, and assisting their return.
Texte riche
Sleptsovskaya. Camp for displaced persons in Chechnya
Année
2001
Paragraphes
Texte riche
Terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in the United States, following which the many geopolitical and security repercussions influence asylum over the following decades.
Année
2003
Paragraphes
Texte riche
Conflict in Darfur (Sudan)
This sees the beginning of a constant increase in the number of Sudanese asylum seekers over the next 20 years. Law of 10 December 2003: introduction of the notion of
safe countries of origin
(SCO) with the list of SCO being fixed by the Board of OFPRA. Implementation of the
subsidiary protection
which supersedes the territorial asylum of the Law of 1998. It allows fears due to internal or international armed conflict to be taken into account based on reasons not explicitly envisaged by the Geneva Convention, such as gender or
sexual orientation
. These asylum requests, as well as those resulting from human trafficking – notably for sexual exploitation – and those concerning female victims of violence, represent a growing part of the requests for protection during the 2000s and 2010s. The Dublin II Regulation instituted on 18 February replaces the 1990 Dublin Convention
Common European Asylum System (
CEAS
): the first “qualification” directive of the European Union fixing minimal communal norms for the consideration of requests for protection, in terms of
refugee
status and
subsidiary protection
. Creation of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex): the agency coordinates the cooperation of Member States in terms of the management of external borders, notably in situations which require increased assistance at these borders, in the organisation of joint return operations and in the training of nation al border guards. Implementation of the reform of the right to asylum by the law of 11 December 2003 and the decree of 14 August 2004. The Office becomes the only dedicated asylum application service centre in France and the Border Asylum Office is transferred here.
Année
2006
Paragraphes
Texte riche
Agreement of 29 September 2006 with the HCR for operational cooperation and a deployment of OFPRA protection officers to certain HCR offices for missions lasting two or three months.
Année
2007
Paragraphes
Texte riche
Main nationalities of asylum seekers : Serbs, Turks, Russians, Sri Lankans.
Law of 20 November 2007 transfers the administrative and financial oversight of OFPRA from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Co-development.
Année
2008
Paragraphes
Texte riche
Main nationalities of asylum seekers : Russians, Serbs and Kosovars, Turks et Sri Lankans.
Signature of a framework agreement with the HCR for the
resettlement
of refugees. Adoption of the first European Pact on Immigration and Asylum which intends to lay the foundations for the second phase of the Common European Asylum System. Among the measures to be taken are: the creation of a European Asylum Support Office, to promote exchanges of experience, analyses and information between the bodies responsible for evaluating asylum requests within the different Member States. Extraordinary reception of Iraqis belonging to vulnerable minorities.
Année
2009
Paragraphes
Texte riche
The top three countries of origin alone (Kosovo, Sri Lanka, and Armenia) represent a quarter of applications.
In 2009 the Office processes
resettlement
cases: Iraqis received within the framework of an exceptional reception operation, the transfers of refugees effected under the agreement between the French government and the HCR, and finally the care France provided for people initially seeking refuge in Malta. The creation in early 2009 of the European and International Affairs Mission invigorated OFPRA’s participation in European projects, especially the EAC (joint training of instructors) and ECS (the sharing of information on countries of origin). The Protection division has the new mission of checking the medical certificates of young girls benefitting from protection due to a risk of excision, to avoid the mutilation of these children. The OFPRA management opens the OFPRA archives, which had been closed to the public since 1952.