Conclusion Conclusion Discrimination in nationality laws varies considerably in form, substance, and cultural context, but it remains common and it creates risks of statelessness. Countries are strongly encouraged to examine their laws and consider reforms to bring them in line with their international legal obligations. As statelessness often affects already marginalized communities, its prevention and resolution are crucial steps on the path to equality for disadvantaged groups. As long as statelessness persists, the international community will not have achieved the core ambition of the Sustainable Development Agenda to “leave no one behind.” At the 2019 High-Level Segment on Statelessness (HLS), both Uganda and the Republic of the Congo made pledges to remove discrimination from their nationality laws in order to reduce the risk of statelessness. Many other pledges made at the HLS relating to different Actions of the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness56 will positively impact communities experiencing statelessness due to discrimination, such as Zambia’s pledge to facilitate naturalization procedures for stateless persons and their children by 2023 or pledges from Bulgaria, Rwanda, Somalia and others to accede to or remove reservations from the UN Statelessness Conventions. Under its statelessness mandate, UNHCR will continue to work with States and other partners to increase awareness of statelessness as a vital issue and to support appropriate law reforms. Despite progress made in recent years, more remains to be done. UNHCR calls on States to take the following steps to remove discrimination from their nationality laws, in line with international standards relating to non-discrimination and the right to a nationality: • • Remove discriminatory provisions from nationality laws, rules and procedures: States should remove discriminatory provisions from their nationality laws, rules and procedures, and review and reform their laws, rules and procedures in order to prevent the denial, loss or deprivation of nationality on discriminatory grounds. States are encouraged to include non-discrimination clauses in their Constitutions and nationality laws. Review and reform discriminatory policies and practices relating to nationality and citizenship: States should review and reform discriminatory policies and practice relating to nationality and citizenship, as well as procedures to access civil and identity documentation to prevent the denial, loss or deprivation of nationality on the basis of discriminatory grounds. 56 See UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Global Action Plan to End Statelessness, 4 November 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/545b47d64.html. U N H C R > B AC KG R O U N D N OT E O N D I S C R I M I N AT I O N I N N AT I O N A L I T Y L AW S A N D S TAT E L E S S N E S S 15