SDG 17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development Those with a connection to more than one State and whose citizenship is undetermined or contested are often at risk of statelessness. Reducing statelessness in these cases therefore depends on interState collaboration.22 It will also require greater collaboration among UN agencies, international and regional bodies, States and civil society, including stateless persons themselves, those at risk of statelessness and their advocates. Efforts within the framework of the global partnership for sustainable development should promote respect for the right to citizenship within efforts to ensure respect for universal human rights of all. WHAT TO CONSIDER: (a) Do States participate in regional and global fora where statelessness is debated? (b) Does international development assistance include capacity-building to address statelessness and ensure access to citizenship documents for everyone entitled to them?23 (c) Does international development assistance support developing high-quality, timely and reliable data, disaggregated with respect to statelessness and undetermined citizenship?24 (d) Has a national focal point been established to develop a national plan to address access to citizenship and (where relevant) to coordinate international assistance relevant to statelessness, legal identity, civil registration and issue of national identity documents?25 (e) Have bi- or multi-lateral commissions been created to determine the citizenship of persons with connections to multiple States and to ensure they have citizenship documents? (f) Have steps have been taken to ensure that citizens abroad have access to consular birth registration and issue of citizenship documentation to all those entitled? ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: UNHCR has a ten-point Global Action Plan for the eradication of statelessness by 2024.26 It also promotes coordination regarding the rights of stateless persons. EXAMPLE OF GOOD PRACTICE: In February 2015, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted the Abidjan Declaration on the Eradication of Statelessness. In 2017, the Banjul Action Plan 27 based on this Declaration committed ECOWAS Member States to develop a framework for the collection of data. In line with this commitment, Côte d’Ivoire with the support of UNHCR included questions within its national census intended to establish better data on the number of people who are stateless or at risk of statelessness in the country, enabling the government to develop more targeted strategies to resolve their situation. LINKS TO OTHER SDGS: International development assistance on any of the SDGs should include consideration of stateless individuals and access to citizenship. 22 Relevant targets 17.17, 17.8 Relevant targets: 17.9; 16.9 24 Relevant targets: 17.18 25 Relevant targets: 17.9; 16.9 26 https://www.unhcr.org/uk/protection/statelessness/54621bf49/global-action-plan-end-statelessness-2014-2024.html 27 https://www.unhcr.org/591c38347 23 European Network on Statelessness 9 of 11 May 2019