Regional Level What can be done at the regional level? nn ENSURE REGIONAL LEGAL INSTRUMENTS ARE IMPLEMENTED: The Council of Europe has adopted legal instruments that contribute to the prevention and reduction of statelessness in the region. Its 1997 Convention on Nationality sets out safeguards against statelessness at birth and later in life. In 2006, the Council of Europe adopted the Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in relation to State Succession. nn URGE STATES TO TAKE ACTION: The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly called on states to identify and protect stateless persons and to prevent statelessness. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe has declared statelessness among children to be one of his priorities and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities addresses the rights of minorities in the OSCE region, some of whom are stateless. The EU institutions also have a role to play to end statelessness in the European Union and beyond. In December 2015, the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union adopted the first EU Council Conclusions on Statelessness. The Conclusions encourage the European Commission to launch exchanges of good practices among Member States. nn INVOLVE REGIONAL COURTS: Despite the lack of explicit grounds in EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights, the European regional courts have started to look into questions of statelessness and nationality. “Governments should stop foisting the blame on history, other states or on ‘irresponsible parents,’ but rather take the initiative to address statelessness and prioritise the best interests of the child.” Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Civil Society What can Civil Society do? 14 nn ASSIST STATELESS PERSONS: NGOs play an essential role in providing legal assistance to persons in need of support to acquire or confirm nationality. nn ADVOCATE FOR THE PLIGHT OF STATELESS PEOPLE: Throughout Europe, NGOs advocate for change at the national level. Many of them are member organizations of the European Network on Statelessness (ENS). Created in 2012, the ENS is a civil society alliance of currently over 100 members in 40 European states committed to addressing statelessness in Europe, through technical support, awareness raising activities and capacity building. STATELESSNESS IN EUROPE