Research Briefing: Convention Travel Documents and Refugee Protection
Across Africa and along major migration routes, refugees remain unable to access education, employment, family reunification, and other durable solutions—not because opportunities do not exist, but because they cannot move lawfully to reach them. Convention Travel Documents (CTDs), established under international refugee law as substitutes for national passports, are meant to guarantee refugees safe and legal international travel. In practice, however, legal and policy gaps in the issuance, recognition, and use of CTDs have rendered this protection tool ineffective in many contexts. Refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, and Libya face systemic barriers that expose them to detention, forced return, exploitation, and prolonged displacement.
INUA Foundation’s Research Desk is undertaking a comparative, refugee-led study on how these gaps undermine refugee protection and block access to durable solutions. The research examines restrictive host-country policies, administrative and security constraints, non-recognition of CTDs by embassies and border authorities, and the consequences for refugees seeking education, mobility, and self-reliance. By documenting lived experiences alongside legal and policy analysis, the study seeks to demonstrate that freedom of movement is a cornerstone of protection and that CTDs are essential instruments for dignity, safety, and opportunity—especially in contexts of protracted displacement and declining humanitarian resources.
INUA Foundation invites academic institutions, refugee-led organizations, policy think tanks, and humanitarian actors to partner with our Research Desk in this important work. We seek collaborators for joint research design, data collection, comparative analysis, and policy engagement. Together, we aim to generate evidence that strengthens CTD systems, advances shared responsibility, and restores lawful mobility as a pathway to refugee protection and durable solutions.