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HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT ON STATELESSNESS

To mark the mid-point of the #IBELONG Campaign to End Statelessness, UNHCR will convene a global High-Level Segment on Statelessness as part of its Executive Committee meeting in October 2019.
This High-Level Segment on Statelessness will be an intergovernmental meeting of United Nations Member States and other stakeholders. The meeting will give States and others the opportunity to:
Highlight key achievements in addressing statelessness since the #IBelong Campaign was launched in November 2014;
Deliver concrete pledges to address statelessness in the remaining 5 years of the #IBelong Campaign.

#IBelong Campaign Background

The #IBelong Campaign was launched in November 2014 with the goal of ending statelessness within 10 years. Together with States, civil society and other UN Agencies, the #IBelong Campaign seeks to end statelessness by 2024 by resolving existing statelessness situations, preventing new cases from emerging and by better identifying and protecting stateless populations around the world. It aims to do so in accordance with the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness: 2014 – 2024.

The #IBelong Campaign has played a catalytic role in raising the profile of the problem of statelessness and in encouraging the international community to take action. For example, since the Campaign was launched, 20 States have acceded to one or both of the United Nations Statelessness Conventions; 2 States have removed gender discrimination from their nationality laws; 9 States have introduced statelessness determination procedures and 10 States have taken concrete steps to resolve protracted situations of statelessness.

2019 is the mid-point of the #IBelong Campaign and provides an important opportunity to acknowledge the progress made to date, and to re-double commitments and efforts to work towards the complete eradication of statelessness by the year 2024. The High-Level Segment on Statelessness, which will be held on 7 October 2019, the first day of ExCom 2019, presents an opportunity for United Nations Member States and others to announce key achievements to address statelessness that have been made since UNHCR launched the #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness by 2024, and to make voluntary pledges to address statelessness in the remaining 5 years of the #IBelong Campaign.

High-Level Segment Documents

High-Level Segment Information Note

Letter from the High Commissioner to the Permanent Missions

UN Key Messages on Statelessness (English and Russian)

Executive Committee meeting provisional agenda (English and French)

Announcing achievements and commitments at the High-Level Segment
States and others are invited to submit their commitments in writing to UNHCR prior to the High-Level Segment. States and others are also invited to announce key achievements to address statelessness since the launch of the #IBelong Campaign, and their commitments to address statelessness in the remaining 5 years of the #IBelong Campaign as part of their interventions during the General Debate at ExCom. Following the announcement of commitments, UNHCR will make the commitments known publicly through internet dissemination and other media. After the High-Level Segment, all commitments will be included in a UNHCR publication memorializing the event.

Guidance and Sample Commitments (English, French, Arabic and Russian)

*Commitment Form for States (English and French)
*Commitment Form for Organizations (English and French)
Ministerial Intergovernmental Event on Refugees and Stateless Persons – Pledges 2011 (English, French and Spanish)

(*)Commitments from States and other stakeholders are strongly encouraged to be submitted in English or French, which are the working languages of the Executive Committee Secretariat.

Civil Society Side Event (English)

Reports from Preparatory Meetings

In the lead-up to the High-Level Segment on Statelessness, regional preparatory meetings were organized to support States in highlighting their achievements and preparing commitments.

Americas: Regional Preparatory Meeting and Presentation of the Evaluation and Follow-up Mechanism “Towards Zero Statelessness” (June 2018)

Asia-Pacific: Regional Preparatory Meeting (May 2019)

Central Asia: Joint Conclusions of the Regional Conference on the Right to Legal Identity and Prevention of Statelessness (June 2018)

Europe: International Conference on Addressing Statelessness (April 2019)

International Conference on Statelessness in the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent (December 2018)

Great Lakes Region: Outcome Document of the Ministerial Conference on the Eradication of Statelessness (April 2019)

Southern Africa Regional Preparatory Meeting – Achievements and Pledges (August 2019)

West Africa Regional Strategic Meeting on Statelessness (May 2019)

– Annex I: proposed achievements

– Annex II: indicative pledges

Announcing achievements and pledges at the High-Level Segment
States and others are invited to submit their pledges in writing to UNHCR prior to the High-Level Segment. States and others are also invited to announce key achievements to address statelessness since the launch of the #IBelong Campaign, and their pledges to address statelessness in the remaining 5 years of the #IBelong Campaign as part of their interventions during the General Debate at ExCom. Following the announcement of pledges, UNHCR will make the pledges known publicly through internet dissemination and other media. After the High-Level Segment, all pledges will be included in a UNHCR publication memorializing the event.

Guidance and Sample Commitments (English and French)
Commitment Form for States (English and French)
Commitment Form for Organizations (English and French)
Ministerial Intergovernmental Event on Refugees and Stateless Persons – Pledges 2011 (English, French and Spanish)