The Inter-American human rights system: a new model for integrating refugee and complementary protection?

A novel set of protections for refugees and asylum-seekers exists within the Inter-American human rights system, the scope of which has been developed considerably in recent years through the jurisprudence of its institutions. Whilst these advances have attracted comparatively little academic commentary, and are relatively unknown even among practitioners in the region, the present article shows that they offer an important new model for integrating principles of both refugee and complementary protection. This article contributes to a wider literature on the relationship between the regime established by international refugee law and the complementary protection regimes that have emerged in human rights law for persons who have international protection needs despite not being refugees. By describing and analysing the distinct strands of the generous Inter-American standards relating to refugees and asylum-seekers, the article explores both their positive implications and interpretative challenges for the future of asylum in the Americas.