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.”167 Regional instruments, such as the 1997 European Convention on Nationality and the 2006 Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession, are also relevant. The obligations under the 1961 Convention to prevent and reduce statelessness are discussed in greater detail below. National measures will be assessed against the relevant international standards to examine to what extent domestic laws and practices are line with the Convention. 4.2 National legal framework Norway was among the first group of states to accede to the 1961 Convention, having acceded without reservation in 1971. The Convention entered into force on 13 December 1975.168 Norway is also a party to CERD, the ICCPR,169 CEDAW170 the CRC, the 1997 European Convention of Nationality, the 2006 Council of Europe Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession, and the ECHR. The main statute governing Norwegian nationality is the Norwegian Nationality Act No. 51 of 2005 (Lov om norsk statsborgerskap or statsborgerloven).171 The Nationality Act is read in conjunction with relevant regulations, first and foremost the Regulation on the granting and loss of Norwegian nationality No. 756 of 2006 (Forskrift om erverv og tap av norsk statsborgerskap or statsborgerforskriften), which discusses the social contract between a national and the state.172 Importantly, under Article 3 of the Nationality Act, the Act shall be applied subject to the limitations that follow from agreements with other states and pursuant to all obligations under international law. This is the sector monism that governs Norwegian immigration and nationality law. Although Article 3 of the Nationality Act expressly requires that domestic law and practice in the area of immigration and nationality reflect Norway’s obligations under international law, the majority of the provisions of both the 1954 and 1961 Conventions have not been codified in domestic law. This has resulted in a number of gaps, which are identified below. 42 167 UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Guidelines on Statelessness No. 4: Ensuring Every Child’s Right to Acquire a Nationality through Articles 1-4 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (UNHCR Guidelines on Statelessness No. 4), 21 December 2012, HCR/GS/12/04, para 10, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/50d460c72.html 168 Norway acceded on 11 August 1971, see further information United Nations: Treaty Collection, available at: https://goo.gl/mf5roo. 169 The Convention entered into force as regards Norway on 6 August 1970. 170 The Convention entered into force as regards Norway on 21 May 1981. 171 Under Article 2, the Norwegian Nationality Act is implemented by the Government; the Ministry of Children, Equality, and Social Inclusion; the Immigration Appeals Board; UDI; the police; and Norwegian foreign missions. 172 Ot.Prp. nr. 41, 2004-2005 p. 21. M A P P I N G STAT E L E S S N E S S I N N O RWAY