Introduction and definitions citizenship, or jus soli citizenship) and to all the children of nationals, regardless of their place of birth (jus sanguinis, or citizenship by descent). Another good practice is to grant the nationality of the country of birth to all children born on the territory who would otherwise be stateless, and likewise, to grant nationality to all children born to nationals outside the territory, if they would otherwise be stateless. Universal birth registration helps prevent childhood statelessness by ensuring that children have accurate records of their place of birth, date of birth and parentage. Universal birth registration, on its own, is not enough to prevent statelessness, although it is very effective in jus soli jurisdictions. Birth registration is an important record that can help establish a child’s legal identity and support the acquisition of nationality, especially where laws contain effective safeguards to prevent statelessness. In the decade since UNHCR introduced the #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness2 and the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness3 in 2014, many OSCE participating States have expanded their efforts to address and prevent statelessness.4 For example, in 2019, Kyrgyzstan became the first country in the world to resolve all known cases of statelessness on its territory, including for approximately 2,000 children, through targeted efforts by government agencies, non-governmental organizations and collaboration with UNHCR and other experts. In 2024, Turkmenistan became the second country to resolve all known cases of statelessness, after granting citizenship to the remaining 1,146 stateless people on its territory.5 From 2014 to 2024, Central Asian countries resolved 220,550 cases of statelessness, with just 33,253 cases outstanding. Taking up the mantle of the #IBelong Campaign, the Global Alliance to End Statelessness will build on progress achieved since 2014 and will seek solutions to statelessness through a collective and collaborative approach centred on the experiences of people affected by statelessness. The Global Alliance, launched on 14 October 2024 at the High-Level Segment on Statelessness in Geneva, is a multi-stakeholder initiative. UNHCR serves 2 3 4 5 2 See #IBelong, UNHCR, (no date). See Global Action Plan to End Statelessness, UNHCR, 30 November 2014. There are 57 OSCE participating States: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uzbekistan. See UNHCR Applauds Turkmenistan for Resolving Statelessness, UNHCR, 8 November 2024.