Background
On 25 February 2021 the Expert Group on
Refugee, IDP and Statelessness Sta�s�cs
(EGRISS), together with UNHCR and
UNFPA convened a side event on the
margins of the UN Sta�s�cal Commission
to raise awareness of the need to
improve statelessness sta�s�cs at
country, regional and global levels. The
event brought together a diverse range of
par�cipants from governments, including
na�onal sta�s�cal offices; humanitarian
and development actors, including from
the UN and the World Bank; and civil
society actors. The event presented
informa�on about statelessness and
growing poli�cal momentum to address it
linked to the #IBelong Campaign and the
Global Ac�on Plan to End Statelessness
2014-2024. It highlighted the data gap
and important recent work to develop a
new set of Interna�onal
Recommenda�ons on Statelessness
Sta�s�cs (IROSS)1 that will help improve
statelessness data. It encouraged
peer-to-peer learning in the area and
support for the adop�on of the IROSS by
the UN Sta�s�cal Commission in 2023.
Nearly one hundred par�cipants from
different sectors and regions joined the
event.
Overall, the event aimed to inform the
sta�s�cal community about the current
scarcity and weaknesses of official
sta�s�cs in this area and other data
needed to report on the size and
characteris�cs of stateless popula�ons.2 It
highlighted the importance of developing
sta�s�cal standards and ensuring the
harmoniza�on of sta�s�cs to accurately
reflect the problem of statelessness.
A young stateless Rohingya girl
from Myanmar is collec�ng water
at the communal water taps in
Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh
© UNHCR/Hyo Mee Duerinck
The event was an opportunity to raise
awareness of the ongoing process to
develop new Interna�onal
Recommenda�ons on Statelessness
Sta�s�cs (IROSS) under the auspices of
EGRISS and to foster feedback on these
and support for their adop�on in 2023.
This short report highlights the main
takeaways from, and lessons learned at
the event. It also sets out the next steps
concerning the development of the
Interna�onal Recommenda�ons on
Statelessness Sta�s�cs (IROSS).
1