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HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT ON STATELESSNESS
To mark the mid-point of the #IBELONG Campaign to End Statelessness, UNHCR convened a global High-Level Segment on Statelessness as part of its Executive Committee meeting in October 2019.
This High-Level Segment on Statelessness was an intergovernmental meeting of United Nations Member States and other stakeholders. The meeting gave 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.
Results of the High-Level Segment on Statelessness
A total of 360 pledges were submitted on the occasion of the the High-Level Segment on Statelessness in October 2019.
252 of these pledges were delivered by States, 70 by civil society organizations, and 38 by international and regional organizations.
#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.
Asia-Pacific: Regional Preparatory Meeting (May 2019)
Central Asia: Joint Conclusions of the Regional Conferences on the Right to Legal Identity and Prevention of Statelessness (June 2018) (September 2019)
Europe: International Conference on Addressing Statelessness (April 2019)
MENA Regional Preparatory Meeting (July 2019)
Southern Africa Regional Preparatory Meeting – Achievements and Pledges (August 2019)
West Africa Regional Strategic Meeting on Statelessness (May 2019)
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)
Resources
General Resources
Good Practices on Statelessness
UN Conventions Reference Guides
UN Documents
Campaign Reports & Updates