In addition to these instruments, the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees expressly applies to stateless persons who otherwise meet the definition of a refugee, as does the 1967 Protocol by implication.16 That is to say that, although not all stateless persons are refugees, a stateless person can be a refugee and, if so, the protection afforded refugees by the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol apply to such a stateless person. At the European regional level, the Council of Europe has adopted two instruments of particular relevance to the question of statelessness. The European Convention on Nationality entered into force in 2000 and currently has twenty State Parties.17 In its Article 4, the European Convention on Nationality states that the rules on nationality of each State Party shall be based on, among others, the principle that statelessness shall be avoided. While broader in scope, covering a range of questions relating to the acquisition and loss of nationality, this instrument contains safeguards similar to those found in the 1961 Convention. Article 6(2) of the European Convention on Nationality, to which Norway is a signatory,18 provides a safeguard against statelessness at birth similar, though not identical, to that of the 1961 Convention. In addition, Article 7 of the European Convention on Nationality, on the loss of nationality ex lege or at the initiative of a State Party, contains a safeguard against statelessness, as well. The European Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to the Succession of States entered into force in 2009 and currently has six State Parties.19 It establishes rules for the acquisition of nationality with a view to preventing statelessness in the context of state succession. In addition to these two specific instruments, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is also increasingly relevant to the prevention of statelessness and the protection of stateless persons. Although the ECHR does not explicitly protect the right to a nationality, the European Court of Human Rights has recognized in its jurisprudence that the impact of the denial of citizenship on a person’s social identity brings it within the scope of Article 8 of the ECHR, which enshrines the right to respect for private and family life.20 Furthermore, the ECHR sets out rights to be enjoyed by all persons within a state’s jurisdiction, whether they are the state’s own nationals, foreign nationals or stateless persons. 12 16 See 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Art 1(A)(2) (“Definition of the term ‘refugee’”). 17 Number provided by the Council of Europe’s Treaty Office as of March 2015, available at: http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ChercheSig.asp?NT=166&CM=&DF=&CL=ENG. 18 See Council of Europe, European Convention on Nationality, states parties, available at: http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ChercheSig.asp?NT=166&CM=&DF=&CL=ENG. 19 Number provided by the Council of Europe’s Treaty Office as of March 2015, available at: http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ChercheSig.asp?NT=200&CM=8&DF=&CL=ENG. 20 See Genovese v. Malta, Application no. 53124/09, Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights, 11 October 2011, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/509ea0852.html. M A P P I N G STAT E L E S S N E S S I N N O RWAY