Stories
Sudanese mother wins citizenship for her children after seven-year legal struggle
Upon learning that her children were stateless, Hanan Jaber Abdallah, 43, embarked on a seven-year struggle to secure their Sudanese nationality. Legal support from UNHCR and its partner, and a change in the nationality law, helped her succeed.
Colombia gives Venezuela newborns a start in life
New measure grants citizenship to the children born to Venezuelan parents on Colombia soil, helping thousands at risk of statelessness
2019 Nansen Refugee Award ‘a symbol of hope’ for the world’s stateless
Lawyer Azizbek Ashurov spent over a decade helping the Kyrgyz Republic to resolve all known cases of statelessness in a historic first.
Intrepid lawyer achieves quest to eradicate statelessness in Kyrgyzstan
Heading out on foot, on horseback and in four-wheel drives, Azizbek Ashurov and his team of lawyers have helped Kyrgyzstan to end statelessness.
Citizenship hopes become reality for Iraq’s Bidoon minority
UNHCR-funded legal initiative has secured nationality for hundreds of formerly stateless families in southern Iraq, giving them access to basic rights and services.
Citizenship tastes sweet to Kyrgyzstan beekeeper
Abdusamat Saparov dreamed of being a beekeeper for over 20 years. But without a birth certificate or passport, it seemed impossible.
Helping families to thrive at the world’s largest refugee settlement
Two years after Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh, strides are being made in enhancing nutrition, shelter, sanitation, healthcare and registration, though challenges remain.
Urgent action needed to reform gender discriminatory nationality laws causing childhood statelessness
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, UNICEF, and the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights are calling for urgent action to reform gender discriminatory nationality laws that remain a root cause of global childhood statelessness.
Birth certificates signal brighter future for stateless children in Kenya
Government move to issue birth certificates to 600 children from Shona community hailed as an important protection measure and first step towards ending statelessness for the group.
Pregnant women flee lack of maternal health care in Venezuela
Thousands of pregnant women have left Venezuela to protect the lives of their unborn babies and their own.
Saving lives at the world’s largest refugee camp
UNHCR and its partners provide round-the-clock emergency health care for Rohingya refugees in south-eastern Bangladesh.
Kyrgyzstan ends statelessness in historic first
In a breakthrough in the global fight against statelessness, the Kyrgyz Republic has today become a leading example of how statelessness can be eradicated by bringing the number of stateless people in the country from over 13,000 to zero in just five years.