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Ending Statelessness
There are a number of practical steps that governments can take to address statelessness. Because the causes of statelessness are many and varied, state responses need to be tailored to the particular statelessness situations they face. With political will and commitment, state action can have a significant impact on reducing and preventing statelessness.
For example, between 2003 and 2013, action by states led to more than 4 million stateless people acquiring a nationality or having their nationality confirmed. Between 2004 and 2014, a total of 12 countries took steps to remove gender discrimination from their nationality laws - action that is vital to ensuring children are not left stateless if their fathers are stateless or unable to confer their nationality. Between 2011 and 2014, there were 44 accessions to the two conventions on statelessness - an increase that will lead to more action to protect stateless people, resolve their predicament and prevent new cases from occurring.
A key component of UNHCR's 10-year Campaign to End Statelessness, launched in November 2014, is the Global Plan of Action, which sets out the strategy for achieving the goals of the campaign. This strategy is comprised of the 10 Actions that states need to undertake to resolve existing major situations of statelessness and prevent new cases from emerging.
The 10 Actions are:
- Action 1: Resolve existing major situations of statelessness.
- Action 2: Ensure that no child is born stateless.
- Action 3: Remove gender discrimination from nationality laws.
- Action 4: Prevent denial, loss or deprivation of nationality on discriminatory grounds.
- Action 5: Prevent statelessness in cases of state succession.
- Action 6: Grant protection status to stateless migrants and facilitate their naturalization.
- Action 7: Ensure birth registration for the prevention of statelessness.
- Action 8: Issue nationality documentation to those with entitlement to it.
- Action 9: Accede to the UN statelessness conventions.
- Action 10: Improve quantitative and qualitative data on stateless populations.
States are encouraged to take one or more of the following 10 Actions to achieve the goals of the campaign by 2024. UNHCR, other UN and international agencies, regional organizations, civil society and stateless people all have roles to play in supporting governments to accomplish Actions relevant to each state.
State Action on Statelessness
Action taken by states, including follow-up on pledges made at UNHCR's 2011 ministerial meeting in Geneva.
