Breakfast Seminar: 75 years with the Refugee Convention – does the world still care?

When: Wednesday 4/11, 9:00-10:00 AM. Coffee from 8:30 AM.
Where: The Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet), Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm.
Registration: Register here, limited number of spots.
This seminar will be held in Swedish.

The UN Refugee Convention was adopted after the Second World War and still forms the basis of international refugee protection today. The convention defines who is a refugee and establishes a central principle: that no one may be sent back to a country where their life or freedom is threatened.

Meanwhile, nearly 120 million people are now displaced worldwide. This year alone, it is estimated that over 2,300 people have drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. In June 2026, the EU's new migration and asylum legislation (the "Pact") will begin to be applied with joint border controls, faster asylum processing, and return after rejection.

At the time of writing, Sweden is still waiting for a new government. How will it act on the refugee issue, and what is required to meet the global refugee situation in a humane and sustainable way? How are people forced to flee affected by the new migration policy, and what will be the humanitarian consequences?

Participants:

• Annika Sandlund, UNHCR's Representative for the Nordic and Baltic countries.
• Pieter-Jan van Eggermont, Humanitarian Advisor, Doctors Without Borders
• A third participant, yet to be confirmed.
  

Moderator: David Isaksson, Editor-in-Chief of Global Bar Magazine and author of the book "Biståndsmassakern" (The Aid Massacre).

The conversation is organized by UNHCR, Doctors Without Borders, Global Bar Magazine, and the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities.

See the exhibition "Democracy doesn't exist – we make it" at the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities
Democracy is not something that just exists – it is created and recreated every day through people's actions, choices, and relationships. At a time when democracy is being challenged in many parts of the world, this exhibition invites reflection on what democracy is, how it works, and the role we all play in shaping it.