QUICK GUIDE 6 - OPERATIONALIZE KEY STATELESSNESS CONCEPTS Other statelessness concepts • 56 Persons at risk of statelessness The concept ‘persons at risk of statelessness’ does not have a legal or technical internationally agreed upon definition but is used to describe those who could be vulnerable to statelessness. While conceptually the term can be useful, it is not recommended to use this category in quantitative research due to the lack of a clear definition. The threshold that must be reached before a person is considered at risk of statelessness may vary according to context and the term risks being applied in a manner that is overly inclusive. Data generated from different studies on this category may therefore not be comparable. • Persons with undetermined nationality One subcategory of persons at risk of statelessness are people who, in the absence of overwhelming evidence that they are stateless, are considered to be with undetermined nationality. There is no legal definition of a person with undetermined nationality. However, UNCHR uses the following working definition for the purposes of collecting statistical data: “A person may be assessed as being with undetermined nationality following a review that verifies the following: they lack proof of possession of any nationality; and either A) have links to more than one State (on the basis of birth, descent, marriage or habitual residence); or B) are perceived and treated by authorities in the State of residence as possessing such links to other States.” U N H C R > R E S E A R C H I N G S TAT E L E S S N E S S - Q U I C K G U I D E S QUICK GUIDE 6 - OPERATIONALIZE KEY STATELESSNESS CONCEPTS Language awareness in researching statelessness Statelessness is not a concept that is always well-understood or one that translates easily into different country contexts or languages. It is therefore important that careful consideration is given to the terminology used to determine whether the concept is correctly understood by persons providing information. In some contexts, it may therefore be better to use a term such as “without any nationality or citizenship” instead of statelessness. Many languages have no direct translation of the word “nationality” or “citizenship”. It may be helpful to consult local interlocutors on the most accurate way to explain the concepts of nationality and statelessness, or to determine if there are specific local terms that approximate a translation. If there is a key document that serves as proof of nationality, and without which a person is very unlikely to be considered a national, always ask whether the affected person(s) hold(s) such a document as a way to confirm that the question about lack of nationality has been understood. Where such a document exists, it may be more effective if questions simply refer to the possession of this document rather than to possession of a nationality. U N H C R > R E S E A R C H I N G S TAT E L E S S N E S S - Q U I C K G U I D E S 57