A recent article in the Daily Telegraph declared as its title suggested, that ‘The UN Convention on Refugees is not fi t for purpose’.2 That is a sweeping observation in a text which singularly failed to try to defi ne what the purpose of the Refugee Convention actually is.3 Nevertheless, it is worth unpacking a little the arguments made by the author, given that 2011 marked the sixtieth anniversary of this instrument and it is more than likely that this will attract – as it should – quite some analysis about its strengths and weaknesses. So, has the Convention seen its day?