News
UNHCR welcomes Dominican Republic move on citizenship
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes a decision by the Dominican Republic to allow the naturalization of around 750 people born and raised in the country who were previously deprived of citizenship due to the immigration status of their parents.
Côte d’Ivoire adopts Africa’s first legal process to identify and protect stateless people
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes Côte d’Ivoire’s adoption this week of Africa’s first Statelessness Determination Procedure. This will help protect thousands of people in the country who are without a nationality.
More progress on statelessness in Central Asia as Turkmenistan becomes latest country to champion universal birth registration
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes a new law in Turkmenistan which will help ensure that all children born in the country will have their births registered. The Law on Civil Status Acts, which entered in to force in July, will help prevent new cases of...
UNHCR welcomes new Ukrainian statelessness law set to end legal limbo for thousands
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes a new statelessness law in Ukraine which came into effect this week. The law will give thousands of people who lack a nationality a chance to work legally, study and access healthcare among other rights and opportunities, and...
UNHCR warns stateless people risk being left behind in coronavirus response
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is urging Governments worldwide to pay urgent attention to the plight of millions of stateless people and to follow a set of recommendations the organization has issued today to ensure their coverage in the COVID-19 response.
The rights and health of refugees, migrants and stateless must be protected in COVID-19 response
In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, we are all vulnerable. The virus has shown that it does not discriminate – but many refugees, those forcibly displaced, the stateless and migrants are at heightened risk.
Uzbekistan to end statelessness for 50,000 people
An estimated 50,000 stateless people in Uzbekistan are set to acquire citizenship following the passing of a new law in the country.
Five years since Abidjan Declaration, West Africa leads on reduction of statelessness in Africa
Five years since the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration on the Eradication of Statelessness by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is lauding progress and urging a redoubling of efforts. This is to ensure everyone in the region has a nationality and benefits from the rights of citizenship.
North Macedonia accedes to key statelessness treaty
North Macedonia acceded to the 1961 Statelessness Convention on Friday 3rd January, making it among the first countries to do so since the High-Level Segment on Statelessness held in Geneva in October 2019.
UNHCR welcomes Tajikistan’s new law tackling statelessness
A new law in Tajikistan allows foreign nationals and stateless people irregularly residing in the country to regularise their stay, by obtaining residence permits which will also enable them after three years to apply for Tajik citizenship.
Kazakhstan amends laws to ensure universal birth registration and prevent childhood statelessness
Joining global efforts to prevent statelessness, Kazakhstan has amended its Code on Marriage and Family so as to ensure that all children born in the country are registered at birth and issued birth certificates, regardless of the legal status of their parents.
Malta joins global efforts to address statelessness
Malta decides to join global efforts to end statelessness by 2024 after it acceded to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons on 11 December 2019.