Stateless People

Today, an estimated 12 million people are stateless worldwide

Since its creation, the United Nations has endeavoured to address and resolve a wide range of issues related to statelessness. Today, an estimated 12 million people are stateless worldwide: they are not considered as nationals by any State under the operation of its law. Statelessness often limits access to birth registration, identity documentation, education, health care, legal employment, property ownership, political participation and freedom of movement.

Statelessness occurs for a variety of reasons including discrimination against minority groups in nationality legislation, failure to include all residents in the body of citizens when a state becomes independent (state succession) and conflicts of laws between states.

Given the seriousness of the problem, the UN in 1954 adopted the Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons. On the regional level these issues are regulated by 1954 Convention on Status of Stateless Person and 1961 Convention on Reduction of Statelessness.

Yet the problem can be prevented through adequate nationality legislation and procedures as well as universal birth registration. UNHCR has been given a mandate to work with governments to prevent statelessness from occurring, to resolve those cases that do occur and to protect the rights of stateless persons. A first step is for states to ratify and implement the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.