Theo James Urges Defense of Refugee Convention on UNGA Eve

Actor Theo James has issued a urgent appeal for world leaders to safeguard the 1951 Refugee Convention, linking the call to the harrowing escape of his grandfather, Nicolas Taptiklis, during World War II.

As the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York, James emphasized that the international framework designed to protect displaced persons is under growing threat from rising xenophobia and shrinking humanitarian aid. He argued that defending the Convention is both a moral imperative and a practical strategy for global stability.

James recounted how his grandfather fled Athens in 1941 as Nazi forces swept through Greece. Due to his service with the British Navy, Taptiklis faced execution or imprisonment if he remained, alongside the risk to his family and community. Under the cover of darkness, he joined twelve others on a small vessel crossing the Aegean Sea to Turkey, eventually making his way to Damascus, Syria, where he found refuge.

That journey left a lasting imprint. After the war, Europe was dotted with approximately 11 million displaced people, including Holocaust survivors, former prisoners of war, and forced laborers. Taptiklis returned to the continent and applied his medical training to help those broken by conflict. He joined the UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, an early humanitarian precursor to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and treated tuberculosis and typhoid in a camp in Göttingen, Germany.

James noted that the horrors of WWII taught a devastating lesson: when there is no safe haven for those fleeing war, lives are lost and families shattered. The 1951 Convention emerged from this history, defining who qualifies as a refugee and establishing state responsibilities to grant protection rather than forced return to danger.

“Even the clearest lessons of history can fade,” James wrote. “A world of indifference, even cruelty, is creeping back.”

He stressed that protecting refugees strengthens communities, reduces instability, and prevents further displacement. “A world that protects people in their greatest moment of need is a safer and more humane world for everyone,” he said.

James reflected that if his grandfather were alive today, he would be warning against the erosion of international solidarity. “I think of my grandfather on that boat, making that journey. I sound the warning on his behalf,” James said. “The right to seek safety was a promise made for us all, and that promise needs protecting and defending.”