Gil was a legend of Refugee Studies. He was a pioneering scholar who brought International Relations to bear on the study of refugees, and critically examined the evolution of UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) over many years. More than that, he was a beloved teacher on the MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies and was influential in the formation of the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) in the 1980s and early 1990s. He was a scholar, colleague, and friend of great decency, warmth and commitment – one whose resilience and courage in the last decades of his life inspired us all.

Teaching and research were two of Gil’s great passions. He always looked forward to teaching his “UNHCR and World Politics” options course at the RSC, and was energised by the enthusiasm and curiosity of his students. He remained convinced that emerging scholars, especially scholars from the global South or those who themselves had been displaced, could bring the ideas and conviction that could finally persuade those in power to take the steps needed to help refugees.

He also believed that original research, through hours spent trawling through the archives or interviewing those closest to the phenomenon of forced displacement, was an essential task for researchers in this field. In the acknowledgments to his 2001 book, The UNHCR and World Politics: A perilous path, he wrote: “Over the last two decades, I have visited numerous refugee camps in Africa, Asia, and Central America as well as refugee holding and detention centres in Europe and North America… [and] interviewed or spoken with hundreds of officials, human rights and humanitarian aid agency workers, researchers, refugees, and asylum-seekers on every continent.” This was a defining feature of Gil’s work.

In celebration of these two passions, and to continue Gil’s legacy, the RSC acting in conjunction with Gil’s family and friends, have established the Gil Loescher Memorial Fund. The fund (which, it is hoped, will be open for applications from October 2021) will support Oxford students conducting research on refugee and displacement issues, with preference given to students from low and middle-income countries or who themselves have been displaced.

Donations can be made through the links below:

UK/ ROW: https://www.development.ox.ac.uk/refugee-studies-centre

USA: https://www.oxfordna.org/donate?id=0852f3f7-5823-42cd-9fd9-80e053fcc123&cref=glmf

Any questions about the Fund can be addressed to matthew.gibney@qeh.ox.ac.uk