work combines research, education, and advocacy. It provides expertise and support to civil society, academia, the UN and governments. Universal Periodic Review of the United Kingdom (First and Second Cycles) 6. The UK was subject to the UPR in 2008 (first cycle) and 2012 (second cycle). OHCHR’s4 summary on the UK’s 2012 Review noted that the Equal Rights Trust had reported the lack of a statelessness determination procedure in the UK.5 Subsequently, the Working Group noted that Germany had asked what the UK had done to address the recommendation to introduce a procedure for determining statelessness.6 In 2012, States made numerous recommendations to the UK on migrants’ rights, particularly on indefinite immigration detention, some of which are relevant to the rights of stateless persons. Some of these were accepted in full or in part by the UK; others were rejected.7 The United Kingdom’s International Legal Obligations 7. International obligations relating to nationality and statelessness: Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) enshrines the right of every individual to a nationality – a fundamental right which affects the ability to enjoy numerous other human rights. This right is entrenched in various international treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (Article 24), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Article 9) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (Article 7). The 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (1954 Convention) and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (1961 Convention) obligate States Parties (including the UK) to take certain measures to protect persons who are stateless or at risk of statelessness. Although UK law gives effect to many provisions of the 1961 Convention and some provisions of the 1954 Convention, the UK has only formally incorporated Article 1(1) of the 1954 Convention and has not formally incorporated the 1961 Convention or the CRC. 8. Other international obligations including on liberty and unlawful detention: The ICCPR (Article 9), European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) (Article 5) and Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (Article 6) enshrine the right to liberty and security of the person and freedom from arbitrary detention. In addition, Article 26 of the 1954 Convention obligates States to permit stateless persons ‘lawfully in’8 their territory to choose 4 The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Summary prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in accordance with paragraph 5 of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 16/21 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review Thirteenth session Geneva, 21 May - 4 June 2012) A/HRC/WG.6/13/GBR/3, 9 March 2012, para 139. 6 Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, A/HRC/21/9, 6 July 2012, para 81. 7 See United Nations Universal Periodic Review Mid Term Report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies (2014), https://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/human-rights/uk-upr-mid-term-report-2014.pdf (‘2014 Mid-Term Report’). 8 UNHCR observes that the drafting history of the 1954 Convention affirms that persons who have applied to remain in a country based on their statelessness are ‘lawfully in’ that country, and clarifies the meaning of other terms such as ‘lawfully staying’ and ‘habitually resident’. Handbook on Protection of Stateless Persons, 5 2