Marking 10 years of the #IBelong campaign to end statelessness worldwide, UNHCR and the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine today hosted a forum bringing together experts from international organizations, government officials, and civil society. ©UNHCR Moreover, UNHCR and the Catholic University of Angola (UCAN), in collaboration with the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges (IARMJ), opened the Lusophone Centre of Excellence for training in international refugee and statelessness law in Luanda. Developed in partnership with UCAN’s Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship and IARMJ, the initiative seeks to enhance technical knowledge on asylum and statelessness law in the six Portuguese-speaking countries on the African continent (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, and Mozambique). Also, the Human Rights Centre of the Catholic University of Angola hosted a masterclass on statelessness for students and professionals. The event provided an enriching platform to reflect on global strategies to eradicate statelessness, reinforcing Angola’s and Lusophone countries’ commitment to promoting fundamental rights of stateless persons. In November, in South Africa, the Southern African Nationality Network (SANN) hosted a webinar, “Mobilizing Civil Society for Advancing the ACHPR Protocol on Nationality in Africa,” bringing together over 70 experts and civil society organizations to promote the Protocol’s ratification. SANN also conducted a regional training for journalists on reporting on statelessness and citizenship. In November, the Pan-African Parliament endorsed the draft Model Law on the Right to Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa, developed with UNHCR support. UNHCR Regional Bureau for Southern Africa will continue assisting the PanAfrican Parliament in finalizing and adopting the law in 2025 to harmonize nationality laws across the continent. In November 2024, during discussions on amendments to South Africa’s Immigration Act, UNHCR advocated for the inclusion of a statelessness determination procedure in deportation processes to prevent wrongful deportation of individuals eligible for South African nationality. The government is reviewing UNHCR’s proposal. In Latin America and the Caribbean, countries renewed their commitment to solidarity, protection, and solutions for refugees, displaced persons, and stateless persons through the Cartagena+40: The Chile Declaration and Plan of Action, a 10-year roadmap adopted during the 40th anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration on refugees. To advance statelessness eradication, States identified priority actions, including aligning national laws with international and regional standards; establishing accessible statelessness determination procedures; issuing documentation free of charge; removing barriers to birth registration and expanding UNHCR > The Campaign to End Statelessness | October – December 2024 Update 10

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