Nationality and Cases of Statelessness in the Middle East and North Africa This report centres on the discussion of two legal concepts: nationality and the status of lacking any nationality, i.e. statelessness. To aid in the interpretation of nationality policy and situations of statelessness in the MENA as presented in the rest of the report, this chapter outlines core elements of the theoretical framework upon which this research rests. As such, it provides details of relevant definitions, before exploring some challenges surrounding the use of terminology in the MENA region. The chapter then offers an overview of relevant international and regional law standards, as well as accompanying mechanisms, such as human rights monitoring bodies with pertinent mandates. 1.1 Definitions Nationality, as used in this report, is a term that refers to a specific type of legal bond between a person and a state. In Arabic, it translates as jinsiya. Nationality is perhaps most easily understood as a form of membership, to which an individual can be admitted by the state. It is for each state to determine who its nationals are and, for this purpose, it will adopt regulations for the acquisition and loss of nationality in a nationality law. Once the legal bond comes into being, the national and the state then enjoy certain rights and duties towards one another 14