expand mothers’ rights to confer nationality on their children, though discrimination still exists. In 2017, the UAE partially reformed its nationality law, allowing children born in the UAE or abroad to an Emirati mother who is married to a foreign national to apply for Emirati nationality when they reach the age of six. This adds to the existing circumstances in which Emirati women can confer nationality, for example where children are born in the UAE and their fathers are unknown, stateless or where the paternal relationship has not been substantiated. In 2019, Iran partially reformed its nationality framework, allowing Iranian women to apply to confer their nationality on their children regardless of place of birth, subject to security screening and administrative procedures. In July 2024, the Government submitted a draft bill to amend certain legal provisions pertaining to nationality, which included more restrictive measures – such as limiting eligibility to children of officially registered marriages, introducing additional verification requirements, and narrowing pathways to nationality for some groups. These proposals raised concerns regarding potential increases in statelessness risks. However, in January 2025, the Government formally requested the retraction of the draft bill from Parliament for further revision, citing the need for fundamental amendments. As of the latest reporting period, the restrictive amendments are not under active parliamentary consideration, and the 2019 nationality law remains in force, although implementation continues to vary across provinces. In 2023, the Privy Council of the Bahamas, the country’s highest court, ruled that children born out of wedlock to Bahamian fathers and foreign mothers are Bahamian citizens at birth. Previously, the Constitution had been interpreted as granting them only the right to apply for nationality at age 18. This ruling upheld a 2020 decision of the Court of Appeal. In 2024, the Passport Act was amended to allow individuals affected by the ruling to apply for a passport, provided their father is identified on their birth certificate. In Eswatini, ongoing litigation seeks to address gender discrimination in the nationality law. The case Machakata v. Minister Home Affairs & Others (Notices of Application and Founding Affidavit), which was filed in 2023, aims to resolve the issue through a declaratory order of the High Court that the offending legislative provisions be interpreted so as to not result in gender discrimination. The Eswatini Ministry of Home Affairs is not opposed to this interpretation of the provisions. In 2024, amendments to Kuwait’s nationality law revoked a provision that allowed children born in Kuwait to a Kuwaiti mother and a foreign father – who was either deceased or divorced from the mother – to apply for nationality. As a result, the only remaining scenario in which a woman can confer nationality is if the child’s father is unknown or paternity is not established. This process remains discretionary and can only be pursued once the child reaches the age of majority. In 2024, the Parliament of Malaysia passed a constitutional amendment bill to allow Malaysian U N H C R > B A C K G R O U N D N O T E O N G E N D E R E Q U A L I T Y, N AT I O N A L I T Y L A W S A N D S TAT E L E S S N E S S 2 0 2 6 7