MAPPING OF THE POPULATION AT RISK OF STATELESSNESS IN ALBANIA “Technical causes” – is a catch-all term that refers to statelessness that comes from unintended gaps in a country’s nationality laws or conflicts between citizenship laws or the actions or inactions of individuals. A prime example of the technical causes that can result in statelessness is the possible incompatibilities between jus sanguinis (citizenship through blood relationship) and jus soli (citizenship through birth in the country). There have been many cases where a child who would qualify for citizenship based on blood can be denied it through not being born on the territory of a country with citizenship laws based on the principle of jus soli. Similarly, a child who is born on a territory that has citizenship laws based on the jus sanguinis principle but who lacks an officially recognised blood line may also be denied citizenship. Other technical causes that may result in statelessness either at birth or later in life include; removing the citizenship of those living abroad who fail to meet registration criteria, failing to provide citizenship for abandoned babies, complications that can arise upon marriage where a new citizenship may not be conferred at the same time as the old citizenship is deemed lost. Many countries are rigorous in their demands for proof of eligibility for citizenship. A person may be asked to comply with any or all of the following: comprehensive and timely, birth registration certificates, proof of nationality, proof of family relationships (sometimes involving costly DNA tests) heavy fees for registration. Groups or individuals may not be able to fulfil the criteria due to income constraints or a nomadic lifestyle or migration that leaves them without the required documentation. Normally, undocumented children do have a nationality but they can still be left stateless if they cannot satisfy the requirements made of them by the official of the country of their nationality – which then refuses to acknowledge their citizenship. 2.4. Consequences of statelessness Citizenship is often defined as the first right from which all others derive. Without that formal recognition, a person is likely, through misfortune, oversight or design, to be either ineligible for services that are theirs by right or invisible – with the same consequence. The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion has this to say on the impact of statelessness13: “The harsh reality for many stateless persons is a story of lack of opportunity, of lack of human rights protection and of lack of participation. They face challenges in all areas of life, including: accessing education and healthcare, finding gainful employment, buying or inheriting property, registering a car or a business, obtaining a birth certificate, driving license, marriage certificate or even death certificate, opening a bank account or getting a loan; falling back on social security, and enjoying a pension. Obtaining a passport or being issued any form of identity documentation is extremely difficult, such that many stateless persons have no proof that they exist and no means by which to identify themselves in their 13 http://www.institutesi.org/world/impact.php UNHCR - TLAS / May 2018 23