The Philippines is a signatory to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons , and is the first Southeast Asian country to adopt international legal standards to keep stateless people from falling into legal limbo.
In 2010, UNHCR has worked with the Government of the Philippines to promote and develop standards and operational responses to address the situation of stateless people and people at risk of statelessness in the Philippines and in support of efforts for the reduction of statelessness globally.
There are five groups of populations that are considered at risk of statelessness in the Philippine context as identified in series of study and inter-agency round-table discussions on statelessness since 2010.
These include the unregistered children, foundlings, children of Filipino descent in migration situations (e.g. the Middle East and Sabah), persons of Indonesian descent residing in Southern Mindanao, and the Sama population.
Priority outcomes concerning statelessness and for persons at risk of statelessness in the context of the Philippines were included in the 2017-2019 joint Strategic Plan between the Government of the Philippines and UNHCR. We also support the Philippines implementing the National Action Plan to End Statelessness in 10 years.
In 2016, UNHCR has supported the Governments of the Philippines and Indonesia to confirm the citizenship of 4,112 out of 8,745 registered Persons of Indonesian Descent in Southern Mindanao. Ongoing efforts to resolve the remaining cases are on-going.
Stateless persons and stateless status applicants have benefited from an enhanced status determination capacity, access to basic rights and continued efforts to strengthen local integration.