Initiatives at regional level to promote gender equality in nationality matters Commitments made at the regional level have been instrumental in promoting change. In February 2015, Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) committed to ensuring that women and men have equal rights to confer nationality on their children under the Abidjan Declaration of Ministers of ECOWAS Member States on Eradication of Statelessness.4 The States reiterated this commitment in the legally binding Banjul Plan of Action5 adopted in May 2017. In October 2017, Member States of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region signed a Declaration on the Eradication of Statelessness6 and an accompanying Plan of Action7 which commits those States to ensuring that women and men have equal rights to acquire, change and retain their nationality and to confer their nationality on their children and spouses. In December 2018, Member States of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, endorsed the N’Djamena Initiative on the Eradication of Statelessness in Central Africa,8 under which they also commit to ensuring equal nationality rights for women and men to acquire, change, retain and transmit their nationality. In February 2018, the League of Arab States (LAS) adopted the Arab Declaration on Belonging and Legal Identity,9 which calls for gender equal nationality legislation in all LAS Member States. Work has now begun to develop an Action Plan to implement the commitments of the Declaration. In February 2024, the African Union Assembly of States adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights Relating to the Specific Aspects of the Right to a Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa. This groundbreaking protocol enshrines equal nationality rights for women and men to acquire, change, or retain their nationality, and to confer nationality to their children. 4 Abidjan Declaration of Ministers of ECOWAS Member States on Eradication of Statelessness, 25 February 2015, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/54f588df4.html 5 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Plan of Action on Eradication of Statelessness, 2017 – 2024, 2017, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/5915c88a4.html 6 Declaration of International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Member States on the Eradication of Statelessness, 16 October 2017, CIRGL/CIMR/DEC/15/10/2017, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/59e9cb8c4.html 7 Action Plan of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) On the Eradication of Statelessness 2017-2019, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a7c16aa4.html 8 N’Djamena Initiative on the Eradication of Statelessness in Central Africa, 12 December 2018, available at: https:// www.refworld.org/docid/5c2f3f8b4.html 9 League of Arab States, Arab Declaration on Belonging and Legal Identity, February 2018, available at: https://www. refworld.org/docid/5a9ffbd04.html 4 U N H C R > B A C K G R O U N D N O T E O N G E N D E R E Q U A L I T Y, N AT I O N A L I T Y L A W S A N D S TAT E L E S S N E S S 2 0 2 4