Statelessness Working Paper Series No. 2016/05 including women’s groups and other civil society actors.91 These two countries should hence be invited to take an active part in the legislative reform process in the region which could inspire other countries of concern to make progress in this regard. 4. Conclusion To conclude, there is a scope for the EU to make use of the realm of institutional, legal and policy frameworks at its disposal for concerted advocacy purposes to export its legal principles, including gender equality and non-discrimination with a view to translating them into equal nationality rights and minority rights, respectively, in the MENAT region. With the ongoing mass movements towards Europe, the time is ripe for the EU to reconsider its political commitment and readiness at the highest levels to expand its endeavors in combatting urgent human rights issues with global implications, such as statelessness beyond its borders. In case of proactive and consistent interinstitutional synergies between EU actors and the political will of the Member States, the elaboration and due implementation of the envisaged framework to advocate for the rights of stateless persons with third countries shall make a tangible regional impact on the MENAT. To this end, it remains a prerequisite for the EU that beyond the universal accession to both Statelessness Conventions among its Member States, all of its Member States put appropriate nationality laws and policies in place with due regard to the rights of stateless persons that fully comply with their obligations under international law. Accordingly, the EU Member States through the manifold UN Special Procedures should ultimately urge the accession of the MENAT countries to the Statelessness Conventions, the removal of genderbased discrimination in nationality laws, the adoption and implementation of safeguards against statelessness at birth, as well as push for the withdrawal of reservations made in connection to CEDAW, especially relating to Article 9 on nationality rights. To this end, both bilateral and multilateral engagements are necessary, yet, it is important to see the strong nexus between them; concrete legislative reforms at the bilateral level may be accelerated and legitimitated through the multilateral fora. Forms and tools of engagement must comply with the nature of each concerned bilateral relation based on individual country strategies in order for the EU to have maximum regional impact and to help prevail the fundamental rights of stateless persons in the countries of concern with a view to achieving gender-equal nationality law reforms in each of the concerned twelve countries of the MENAT region, especially those hosting Syrian refugees. Succeeding in this endeavor is largely dependent on the concerted willingness of stakeholders to build a strong collaboration between the EU, its Member States, other state and non-state actors of the concerned countries. In the context of the deteriorating Syrian crisis, the accomplishment of equal nationality laws would bring about hope to those without an effective nationality to be readmitted and to reintegrate into post-war Syria as citizens. 91 Preventing and Reducing Statelessness: Good Practices in Promoting and Adopting Gender Equality in Nationality Laws, UNHCR (2014), available at http://www.unhcr.org/protection/statelessness/531a001c9/preventing-reducing-statelessnessgood-practices-promoting-adopting-gender.html. 13