Law & Policy Development Through national and pan-European work, we are influencing policy debate at every opportunity. At the same time we are working to increase our capacity to bring about change through the use of strategic litigation. (Countries where ENS has members) Via our members we are helping to compile and provide information on national practices to various intergovernmental and Treaty Body monitoring processes such as the Universal Periodic Review. We contributed to a comparative report being prepared by OHCHR in connection with a Human Rights Council Resolution concerning the Arbitrary Deprivation of Nationality. A member of the ENS Steering Committee gave evidence at a hearing of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Paris in Nov 2012 on issues surrounding access to nationality in the region. We have received funding from UNHCR to develop a comparative analysis and good practice guide on statelessness determination procedures. This will provide an invaluable tool as more governments across Europe are persuaded to address the statelessness problem by putting in place dedicated procedures equivalent to those that routinely already exist for asylum seekers. As part of efforts to influence policy debate at the national level, ENS Steering Committee members have spoken at events in the Netherlands (Dec 2012), Budapest (Dec 2012) and Rome (Feb 2013). Efforts to try and move statelessness higher up the EU’s agenda included a presentation at a Brussels event on access to citizenship (Feb 2012) and a subsequent invitation to address a hearing of the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency. Capacity Building Activities Since its launch ENS has been working to increase its capacity to provide training to a range of stakeholders, including through developing online materials and by establishing a dedicated pool of trainers. In Nov 2012 ENS held its first major Network event in Budapest, bringing together 30 members from 28 European countries. The aim was to provide specialist training, share information and engage in strategic planning on ways to tackle statelessness in Europe. The seminar was made possible by the support of UNHCR’s Global Learning Centre. One of the conclusions arising from the Budapest event was the need to expand the provision of training among NGOs interested in increasing their focus on statelessness work. Subsequently ENS has successfully fundraised for further support from UNHCR’s Global Training Centre for a Train the Trainer event scheduled to take place in Nov 2013. ENS has been actively engaged in building partnerships with the academic community by finding innovative ways to increase the sharing of ideas and knowledge between ENS members, academics and other experts. Through its website, direct advice is provided to Masters and Ph.D students considering or undertaking statelessness research. ENS has advertised its ability to provide expert legal/policy advice and consultation to external stakeholders, including national governments looking to introduce stateless protection mechanisms or to introduce law reform aimed at preventing statelessness among children born in Europe. Working in partnership with governments has already proved effective in some countries, for example the UK which recently introduced a statelessness determination procedure.