•
If your country is one of the very few States to have signed one or both of
the statelessness conventions but has delayed the ratification process, use
parliamentary procedure to inquire why the government is delaying and to
encourage the government to expedite the process. Use your right to legislative
initiative to submit a bill on the matter.
•
If the government opposes ratification/accession, try to find out why, in detail. If
necessary, help to eliminate doubts and misunderstandings and use your political
network to accelerate the process. Advocate with your constituents to advance the
cause of ratification/accession.
•
If you are a parliamentarian of a State created by partition or disintegration of
other States, the treaties to which the predecessor State had acceded do not
automatically bind the new State. New States can succeed to the predecessor
State’s obligations, accede as new States, or indicate their intention not to be
bound by the treaties concluded by the predecessor State.
•
After the statelessness conventions have been ratified/acceded to, make sure
that your parliament adopts national legislation that corresponds to the provisions
contained in the statelessness conventions. Use parliamentary procedure to
ensure that the government sends draft legislation or amendments to existing
legislation to parliament within a reasonable amount of time.
•
If the government has sent parliament a request for ratification/accession
accompanied by reservations limiting the scope of the treaty, objections, or
declarations of understanding, and you have ascertained that such limits are
groundless, promote the general interest over sectarian or circumstantial interests.
•
If the government’s reservations limiting the scope of the treaty, its objections, or
its declarations of understanding are no longer valid, use parliamentary procedure
to enquire into the government’s intentions, and take action with the aim of having
the restrictions lifted.
•
If you require advice and assistance on ratification/accession and/or on drafting
national legislation that adheres to the principles contained in the statelessness
conventions, contact the UNHCR office located in, or responsible for, your State.
How can parliamentarians raise awareness about the issue of statelessness?
As the persons responsible for crafting their nation’s laws, parliamentarians are in an
excellent position to advocate for the reduction or elimination of statelessness and to
ensure that the rights of stateless persons are protected. Parliamentarians must not only
encourage their governments to adopt laws that conform to international standards, but
they must also win the support of their constituents. Only when civil society understands
the problems associated with statelessness will it support parliamentarians’ efforts to
resolve those problems.
Parliamentarians can raise awareness about statelessness among their constituents
by making speeches about it and about the importance of sound nationality legislation,
writing newspapers articles about the need to eliminate statelessness, working with
NGOs and other civil society actors who assist stateless persons, and, where applicable,
advocating for the speedy resolution of individual cases of statelessness.
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