McLaughlin’s International Lecture to explore refugee cases before international courts

Refugee mother and child in Idomeni

On Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 12:30 p.m., Hilkka C. Becker, chairperson of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal, will join the McLaughlin College International Lecture to virtually present, “The UNHCR and the Enforcement of Refugee Protection before International Courts: Amicus and Third-Party Submissions before the ECtHR.”

Hikka C. Becker
Hilkka C. Becker

The lecture, hosted by the Office of the College Head and Human Rights Watch (HRW), will outline the potential wider application of the UNHCR’s (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) amicus role in refugee cases before international courts. Using the jurisprudence of the ECtHR (European Court of Human Rights), as the prime example, the discussion will explore the impact of the UNHCR’s interventions on the evolution and development of international refugee law in Europe and conclude with the assessment of the use of strategic litigation by the UNHCR in fulfilling its supervisory role in the advancement of refugee protection.

Becker has served as the chairperson of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal since April 2017. Previously, she was a deputy chairperson of the tribunal and served as a part-time Member of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal from 2013 to 2016.  Becker is a lawyer with over 20 years professional experience specializing in asylum, migration and human rights law. She holds an advanced diploma in Data Protection Law from The Honorable Society of King’s Inns and a post-graduate diploma in Employment Law from University College Dublin. Since 1998, Becker is registered to practise in Germany and is a practising solicitor in Ireland since 2003. She has acted in immigration, EU free movement, refugee and citizenship law before the superior courts in Ireland as well as before the ECtHR and the Court of Justice of the European Union. 

To register for the event, click here.