6 Proposed Select Draft Articles on Nationality Rights to Ensure Gender Equality Background - International law and standards ◆ Noting that Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that: “Everyone has the right to a nationality. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.” ◆ Acknowledging that Article 3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights requires equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex and Article 24 prescribes that: “Every child has the right to acquire a nationality.” ◆ Recognising that Article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child requires non-discrimination “irrespective of the child’s, or his parent’s or legal guardian’s … sex, …, birth or other status” and Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that: “The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality… States Parties shall ensure the implementation of these rights in accordance with their national law and their obligations under the relevant international instruments in this field, in particular where the child would otherwise be stateless.” ◆ Recognising also that Article 9 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women states that: “1. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality. They shall ensure in particular that neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the nationality of the husband. 2. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children.” ◆ Bearing in mind that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women’s General Recommendation No. 32 on the genderrelated dimensions of refugee status, asylum, nationality and statelessness of women states that: “Article 9 of the Convention establishes that women enjoy the rights to acquire, change or retain their nationality and to confer their nationality on their children on an equal basis with men. The Committee has interpreted that this right also applies to spouses.”