Cover : Since Georgia established a statelessness determination procedure in 2012, stateless persons have been able to obtain a residence permit and exercise a range of human rights. Some also acquired Georgian nationality subsequently, like the family in this photo. UNHCR /INNOVATIONS AND REFORM CENTER A PERSONAL APPEAL FROM THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES Destitution, detention, lack of access to health care or education, the impossibility of marrying a loved one or registering the birth of a child. These are just some of the many problems faced by stateless people around the world, especially when their existence is ignored and their basic human rights are denied. It is vital that States formally identify stateless individuals, ensuring that they are able to enjoy the full range of human rights. I would like more information about: UNHCR and its work on statelessness Visit UNHCR’s statelessness website at www.unhcr.org/statelessness. You can also consult the Conclusions on International Protection of UNHCR’s Executive Committee, in particular Conclusion 106 on Identification, Prevention and Reduction of Statelessness and Protection of Stateless Persons (2006). António Guterres Published by: UNHCR P.O. Box 2500 1211 Geneva 2 Switzerland UNHCR, August 2014 For a more detailed discussion of statelessness see Nationality and Statelessness: Handbook for Parliamentarians (UNHCR and Interparliamentary Union, 2005, updated in 2014) and the Handbook on Protection of Stateless Persons (UNHCR, 2014). To access these and other relevant international documents, visit UNHCR’s Refworld website at www.refworld.org.