4.3.2 Evidence Engagement in the Platform on Statelessness While the previous section examined evidence needs expressed by the Platform participants, this section turns to evidence engagement by analysing how the EMN contributes to evidence engagement on statelessness. Firstly, the Platform raises awareness on this issue, among others through its events and outputs. Secondly, the Platform can, together with partners such as the Council of Europe, efficiently act as a sort of knowledge broker between practitioners and policy actors. This will be elaborated in the following, illustrated through the example of the most recent joint EMN and Council of Europe Multistakeholder Meeting: “Children in Statelessness”, which was held on the 6th of June 2024 in Luxembourg. The Platform of Statelessness and awareness raising A key factor distinguishing the Platform from the rest of the EMN is that its agenda goes beyond information mapping and sharing. Specifically, it includes raising awareness about statelessness and reducing statelessness and related discrimination in Europe (interviewees 10 & 13; EMN, 2018). The Platform can enhance evidence engagement at the policy level by raising awareness of this issue (interviewees 13 & 15), which is crucial, since statelessness is not a political priority, making it challenging to place on the political agenda (interviewees 11, 13, & 15). Awareness raising can be achieved through Platform events (interviewees 1, 13, & 15) or by disseminating Informs (interviewees 13 & 15). For example, one interviewee mentioned that the EMN Informs on statelessness, were used by their organization to identify key issues to be brought to the attention of governments in Member States (interviewee 15). In addition, the Platform collaborates with various international partners, including the Council of Europe, UNICEF, UNHCR, and the European Network on Statelessness (ENS), to enhance its capacity for raising awareness and strengthening its impact (interviewees 13 & 15; EMN, 2018). Interviewed members of international organizations also stated that cooperation with the Platform is valuable for their own advocacy efforts (interviewees 1 & 15). For example, one participant emphasized that the Platform can be a crucial partner in advocacy and awareness-raising. Given that the Platform is driven by Member States and with NCPs often maintaining close relationships with governments, it can play a significant role in gathering information and carrying out advocacy work on issues of statelessness with national authorities (interviewee 1). Additionally, actors mentioned that participating in Platform events enhances their awareness-raising capabilities by increasing their organizations' visibility in the field (interviewee 15) and by strengthening their networks (interviewee 1). 28