Across the world today more than ten million people are told they don’t belong ANYWHERE. They are called ‘stateless’.
The 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons establishes the legal definition for stateless persons as individuals who are not considered citizens or nationals under the operation of the laws of any country.
Stateless people are denied a nationality. And with it, they are denied their basic rights. Statelessness can mean a life without education, without medical care, or legal employment. It can mean a life without the ability to move freely, without prospects, or hope.
Central Asia is home to a considerable stateless population. Statelessness in Central Asia is largely a result of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. While many were able to confirm or acquire the nationality of the successor states, some others have been unable to do so despite having had a link to a newly independent state partly due to gaps in the nationality laws. Subsequently, although significant progress has been made since independence, statelessness continues to affect the lives of many people, compounded by migratory movements, the lack of adequate safeguards in citizenship laws, and gaps in birth registration procedures.
#IBELONG campaign, UNHCR’s ten-year campaign (2014-2024) to end statelessness in the world, is a powerful platform to advance the efforts to address statelessness in Central Asia.
Learn more about #IBELONG campaign.
Coalition on Every Child’s Right to a Nationality
UNHCR-UNICEF Coalition on Every Child’s Right to a Nationality aims to develop, expand and strengthen international co-operation to raise awareness about and combat the hidden problem of childhood statelessness.
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.