In Kenya, two news broadcasts from a major national
television channel featured the issue of statelessness. In
February, a member of the Shona stateless community
in Kenya was invited for an interview to speak of his
plight as a stateless person. Mushawa Ndoro gave a
brief history of the Shona community and highlighted the
steps that it has taken in its attempts to be recognized as
citizens of the country. UNHCR and the Kenyan Human
Rights Commission participated in a separate broadcast
to highlight the consequences of statelessness as well as
initiatives related to the #IBelong Campaign.
In the Americas, UNHCR developed four new videos with
the purpose of explaining the main concepts and regional
legal standards related to statelessness. The videos
are available to the general public and will be used at
regional workshops and meetings that present learning
opportunities.
In Europe, two media events took place showcasing
statelessness and solutions. In the Balkans, on 25
January, a TV network aired a feature in the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with participation
from UNHCR. UNHCR also shared Jirair’s story, a piece
concerning a formerly stateless person who recently
acquired Georgian citizenship. After years of frustration,
Jirair has finally been recognized as a citizen of the
country where he was born.
UNHCR and partners march to say “No” to statelessness in Lome, Togo ©UNHCR/Mensah
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