After more than three decades to advancing the rights of refugees and other displaced people, from refugee camps in Kenya to international policy discussions in Geneva, Anne-Christine Bloch is preparing to retire. This year, as the world marks the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, her reflections offer a look at the importance of the landmark agreement and the principles that have shaped her work.

“I think I’ve always been a person with very strong empathy for other people and their suffering,” Christine said, reflecting on what first drew her to a career in humanitarian and refugee protection.

A peaceful protest she participated in as a young woman in Copenhagen was met with police violence, an experience that led her to pursue law. While studying, she became involved with the Danish Centre for Human Rights, setting her on her path.

Her career has included work with the Danish Refugee Council, the Red Cross, and the UN Centre for Human Rights, now the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Throughout that work, her conviction that effective protection begins with listening to the people it is meant to serve remained.

Early in her career, Christine understood the importance of including the voices of the communities served in the problem-solving process and grew frustrated by what she saw as a lack of attention to the rights and perspectives of the people humanitarian organizations were trying to assist.

A friend suggested she get involved with JRS based on its community-based approach.

“I’ve been very happy with JRS because of that strong focus on people’s rights and on justice,” she said.

The importance of that approach was reinforced during a trip Christine took to Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. There, she visited a “safe haven,” a center within the camp intended to protect women, children, and members of minority groups who faced particular challenges because of discrimination.

During an assessment, Christine met a Somali man from a minority clan who told her that while the area was intended to protect the refugees there, it also severely restricted their lives. They could not freely leave, go to a market, or earn an income, and their food rations were being reduced.

Christine listened and advocated changes. When she returned to the camp a year-and-a-half later, the man told her how much his situation had improved.

“By speaking to people, by listening to them, by following their directions on how we can make their situation better without spending a huge amount of money, we were able to make a significant difference in their lives,” she said.

That’s the approach Christine has brought to her work with JRS’s International Office, where she has served as the organization’s representative in Geneva. She has focused on participatory assessments and evaluations of refugee programs, helped advance accountability to refugee populations, and contributed to age, gender, and diversity-informed approaches through a secondment to UNHCR with JRS.

She has also contributed to international advocacy efforts, including support for the resettlement of Bhutanese refugees and efforts to bring greater attention to detention practices and conditions.

For Christine, those experiences have reinforced the importance of connecting policy with the realities of people’s lives. That connection is especially important as the 1951 Refugee Convention reaches its 75th anniversary.

Adopted in the aftermath of World War II, the Convention established an international framework for protecting people fleeing persecution. Its influence has extended far beyond its original context, helping shape refugee protection around the world.

Christine does not believe the Convention’s age diminishes its importance.

“The Refugee Convention is not just a 75-year-old construct,” she said. “The Refugee Convention is not just a 75-year-old construct,” she said. Rather, she sees it as a codification of principles that have existed far longer, including the responsibility to protect people fleeing persecution and welcome those seeking safety. Those values, she noted, can be found across many of the world’s religious traditions.

Its principles remain relevant as millions of people continue to flee their homes because of conflict, persecution, natural disasters, and other crises. At the same time, Christine is concerned about the willingness of wealthier countries to share responsibility for refugee protection with the countries hosting the majority of the world’s refugees, which are often struggling themselves.

The 75th anniversary, Christine believes, is an opportunity to reaffirm the commitments the Convention sets forth.

“We are all interconnected,” she said. “It is not just about me, but it is about protection of all of us. It could be you and me tomorrow. We don’t know.”

For Christine, that responsibility extends beyond governments and humanitarian organizations. It is a shared human obligation, one rooted in values that transcend borders and faith traditions.

“It is really important for us to get back to our original value set of looking out for each other, looking out for strangers in need, and welcoming them,” she said.

As the Refugee Convention marks 75 years, Christine’s experience and approach is a model: listening to people, recognizing our shared humanity, and ensuring those forced to flee have somewhere to turn.