INTRODUCTION The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) estimates that there are at least 15 million stateless people globally.12 From our discussions and consultations, some of the key causes of this lack of statistical reporting on statelessness seem to be government hesitance and inaction to recognize stateless communities as well as practical difficulties of access and engaging with stateless communities. This means that gathering a clear picture of how many people are affected by statelessness and where they are located is in itself a very difficult process. This report aims to build knowledge and shed light on the Asia-Pacific which despite underreporting, reports the highest number of stateless people in the world. This report also acknowledges the existing initiatives to end statelessness and how heavily under-resourced they are. Through the continuation of this report in compendium and book versions, we hope to generate more attention and resources for such initiatives. Methodology and Timeline The research that underpinned the first edition of SEAP commenced in late 2020. Additional research for the second edition of SEAP commenced after the publication of SEAP First Edition in May 2023. Through the original internal regional mapping project for the First Edition and the continuation of research through SEAP Second Edition, we aimed to:  Provide an overview of the statelessness situation in the Asia Pacific region.  Gain a broad understanding of the legal and administrative frameworks as they apply to citizenship regimes of all countries across the Asia-Pacific region, and to begin to see the disjunct between these regimes on paper and in practice.  Generate more attention to the statelessness problem in the region.  Strengthen relationships with, and gather a database of, key stakeholders at national, 12 INTRODUCTION    regional and international levels, building on the network members of SNAP but ensuring that we expand beyond our members to include new organizations, especially those that were previously overlooked. Identify good practices from which we could learn the needs of organizations working on the issue and the gaps in the current work being undertaken. Identify specific countries and contexts where NFA could focus on considering the scale of the problem in the region and the limited capacity of NFA. Identify areas of collaboration among stakeholders and areas of further research on the issue. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered through a combination of desk research, consultations and bilateral meetings. Precarious Legal Status’ drafted in collaboration with Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) and Refugee Solidarity Network (RSN). The survey aimed to gather information and connect to stakeholders across the region. We received 47 unique responses to the survey from respondents working across 14 different countries or regions including: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand. Following the survey, NFA coordinated four separate consultations in collaboration with OSJI and RSN. While each consultation had a specific thematic focus, all were part of a broader examination of good practice in the region within the framework of “Advancing Rights and Protections for Stateless Populations, Refugees, and Communities with Precarious Legal Status”. Bilateral Meeting and development of partnerships Desk Research Commenced in December 2020, desk research was undertaken drawing on pre-existing research, reports and national mapping projects with the aim to review and summarize national and regional situations of statelessness. This included mapping relevant communities and stakeholders and conducting a broad analysis of legal and administrative frameworks. Through desk research, NFA developed sub-regional reports that formed the basis for SEAP. This research resumed in 2022 to transform the abundance of research collected into an accessible publication. After the First Edition was published, desk research resumed in October 2023 for the Second Edition. Survey and consultations In November 2020, NFA launched a survey on ‘Advancing Rights and Protections for Stateless Populations, Refugees, and Communities with STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC (DETAILED VERSION) Throughout 2021, NFA conducted bilateral consultations with potential partner organizations, who were identified through the regional consultation series, former SNAP members or recommended by current contacts. NFA met with over 30 potential partners based in a number of countries across the Asia-Pacific region including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand. In addition, NFA collaborated on the COVID-19 CESF Impact report “Together We Can: The Covid-19 Impact on Stateless People & A Roadmap for Change”. From the data gathered through this process, in the second half of 2021, sub-regional summaries covering Australia, Asia, East Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and South and Southeast Asia were drafted. Through these summaries we aimed to gather and analyse the available literature and reports regarding stateless communities and populations across the Asia-Pacific region. This research compared the official population numbers provided by states to UNHCR against other publicly available data of population numbers. Once the data collected throughout 2020 and 2021 was determined to be written into an accessible report, the desk research for the First Edition began in 2022. After being published in May 2023, the additional research for the Second Edition began in October 2023. In 2023, NFA partnered with law firms, lawyers, and other researchers in several countries throughout the region, including Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (India), Hogan Lovells (Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam), Herbert Smith Freehills (Malaysia), C&G Law (Philippines), and Linklaters (China, Hong Kong, Japan). Other partnerships include activists and researchers namely Ali Johar, Padmini Baruah, Christoph Sperfeldt, and Liao Xin-yi (Taiwan Association for Human Rights). These partnerships provided pro bono assistance in producing and reviewing information included in the report, which contributed to the culmination of the second edition of SEAP. Scope and Limitations of the study The lack of information and data in the Asia-Pacific region inhibits accurate estimates of stateless populations in each country, sub-region, as well as the region as a whole. This report utilizes only reported population numbers through the end of 2022, included in the most updated version of UNHCR’s Global Trends publication. The reported population numbers for 2023 are expected to be published in June of 2024. With the aim of this report being knowledge production, the information included is not meant to provide REPORT 2024 13