Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at the 42nd Session of the Universal Periodic Review CZECH REPUBLIC Introduction 1. The Organization for Aid to Refugees (OPU), the European Network on Statelessness (ENS) and the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) make this joint submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), on the right to a nationality and human rights challenges pertaining to statelessness in the Czech Republic. 2. The Organization for Aid to Refugees (OPU)1 established in 1991, is the oldest and largest non-governmental organization in the Czech Republic which assists refugees, stateless persons and migrants. OPU provides free in-person legal and social aid throughout the country by means of aid in all eight reception, accommodation and detention centres and five regional offices. OPU has been the watchdog for any unlawful practices and systemic failures of Czech asylum and migration policy, appears in the media regularly and organises events for the public to raise awareness about discrimination and xenophobia. 3. The European Network on Statelessness (ENS)2 is a civil society alliance of NGOs, lawyers, academics, and other independent experts committed to addressing statelessness in Europe. Based in London, it currently has over 170 members in 41 European countries. ENS organises its work around three pillars – law and policy development, awareness-raising, and capacity-building. ENS provides expert advice and support to a range of stakeholders, including governments. This submission partially draws on information and analysis from ENS’s Statelessness Index, which covers the Czech Republic.3 4. The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI)4 is the first and only human rights NGO dedicated to working on statelessness at the global level. ISI’s mission is to promote inclusive societies by realising and protecting everyone’s right to a nationality. 1 For more information, see https://www.opu.cz/en/. For more information, see https://www.statelessness.eu. 3 ENS, Statelessness Index: Czech Republic, https://index.statelessness.eu/country/czech-republic. 4 For more information, see https://www.institutesi.org/ . 2 1