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Protection
Protection
Protecting stateless people means ensuring that they can exercise their human rights until such time as they can acquire a nationality.
UNHCR provides guidance and technical assistance to governments to establish procedures to recognize stateless people and give them a legal status along with basic human rights. UNHCR does this by encouraging states to accede to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and by advocating for the respect of rights to which stateless people are entitled under other human rights instruments.
At a grass roots level, UNHCR works with NGOs, human rights groups and other UN partners to make sure that stateless people can obtain access to education, health care, employment and other basic rights. UNHCR also works with partners to protect stateless people from indefinite detention, trafficking and violence.