THE ROADMAP FOR CHANGE A Legacy to Build On The Consortium identified a number of key steps to strengthen protection and inclusion of stateless people, informing the development of a Roadmap for Change: a practical 3-step framework for resolving and addressing the structural discrimination and exclusion of stateless people, during COVID-19 and beyond. The Roadmap aims to inform and guide the necessary inclusive responses of multiple stakeholders, including governments, parliamentarians, professional bodies, NHRIs, UN agencies and experts, diplomats, donors, international organisations, NGOs, grassroots groups, activists, the media and concerned members of the general public. “ The roadmap offers a way forward for our allies to check their statelessness blind-spots, centre us in their actions and be accountable to us when delivering their mandates. We cannot end statelessness by ourselves. Together we must work to envision a world where nobody is deprived of nationality based on their race, sex, gender or religion. A world where everyone’s right to nationality is protected and upheld, and where statelessness is truly relegated to the history books”. Karina Ambartsoumian-Clough, Founding Member & Executive Director, United Stateless In reflecting on the impact of the CESF Consortium as a whole, in addition to generating meaningful impact at a time of great need for the communities they serve, Consortium members have also jointly produced invaluable lessons to guide further work on statelessness. The documentation of such a rich diversity of projects designed to respond to the real needs of stateless people at a time of crisis, combined with the distillation of key learnings into the Roadmap for Change, creates a powerful toolbox for future efforts. TOGETHER WE CAN: A ROADMAP TO ADDRESS THE COVID-19 IMPACT ON STATELESS PEOPLE 1 CHECK FOR INSTITUTIONAL BLIND-SPOTS We invite states, UN actors, humanitarian groups and other stakeholders to engage in careful introspection, check for institutional blind-spots, and review and reform policies and practices to ensure that stateless people are prioritised, their particular contexts and needs are understood and addressed and they are not excluded or left behind through: • • • • 2 Strengthening awareness of the issue at all levels; Acknowledging historical failures; Collecting and sharing information on statelessness and nationality rights deprivations and Resourcing the enhancement of capacities, collaborations and funding. INCLUDE, CONSULT & ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE We invite activists and NGOs to make their expertise available and those in positions of power, to have open consultation and meaningful and constructive dialogue with affected communities, and commit to including stateless people on equal terms by: • • • • Consulting with activists and affected communities; Building trust and strengthening solidarity with stateless communities; Meeting the needs and priorities of affected communities and ensuring their meaningful participation and Facilitating wider discourse within society and institutions on equality, inclusion and the right to nationality. 3 BUILD BACK BETTER We invite all actors to learn the hard lessons that the pandemic has taught us and invest in future-proofing, ensuring a lasting commitment to breaking down the pervasive injustice, indignity, inequality, deprivation and exclusion that stateless people face, focusing on: • • • • • • Implementing reforms to address discriminatory laws, policies and practices; Redressing the intergenerational disadvantage and legacy of statelessness; Being accountable to stateless communities and activists; Monitoring the performance and progress of states; Ensuring access to justice and reparations for stateless people and Sustainably investing in inclusive societies. 20