The relationship of Action 2 to other Actions in the Global Action Plan The commitment to ensure that no child is born stateless, as set out in Action 2 of the Global Action Plan, cannot be examined in isolation from the other actions to be taken under the Plan. In particular, Action 2 is closely connected to Action 1: Resolve existing major situations of statelessness; Action 3: Remove gender discrimination from nationality laws; Action 4: Prevent denial, loss or deprivation of nationality on discriminatory grounds; Action 7: Ensure birth registration to prevent statelessness; and Action 8: Issue nationality documentation to those entitled to it. Action 1, which seeks to resolve existing major situations of statelessness, is critical to ending statelessness among children at birth. Major situations of statelessness often trace their origins to the time of a State’s creation, when particular groups were excluded from citizenship for discriminatory reasons. They also arise when the law does not provide any right to nationality based on birth in a country after the date of that country’s creation, even for otherwise stateless children. In order to halt inter-generational statelessness, some States have amended the rules for acquisition of nationality so that stateless persons are automatically considered nationals of the State in which they were born, provided they meet criteria that demonstrate strong links to the country.8 Action 3, which aims to end gender discrimination in nationality laws, addresses one of the main causes of statelessness among children, even in countries that do not have a substantial population of persons whose nationality is not recognized.9 Action 4, which calls on States to prevent denial, loss or deprivation of nationality on discriminatory grounds, aims at eradicating the most significant cause of statelessness globally. The majority of the world’s known stateless populations, including children, belong to minority groups whose members face discrimination when it comes to the right to a nationality. Action 7, which aims to ensure birth registration for all children, is also vitally important. Although a birth certificate generally does not in itself serve as proof of nationality, birth registration is critical to establishing, in legal terms, the place and time of birth and parental affiliation. This in turn serves as documentary proof underpinning acquisition of the parents’ nationality or the nationality of the State where the child is born.10 Reforms to nationality laws to prevent statelessness among children Nationality is usually acquired at birth on the basis of the nationality of one or both of the parents or the place of birth, with most countries providing for elements of both rules to apply. But some follow one rule almost to the exclusion of the other, and the interaction of these laws can create problems of statelessness among children. The most common situation is for a child to be born in the country of nationality of one or the other of his or her parents, in which case attribution of nationality at birth is generally straightforward (where there is no gender discrimination in the laws of the country). But for many children the situation is not so clear. An important first step is the removal of discrimination in law, not only on the basis of gender, which is the subject of Action 3, but also on the basis of race, ethnicity or religion. Countries whose laws include discriminatory provisions of this type significantly increase the risk of statelessness for children. Reforms undertaken to remove discrimination reduce this risk. 8 See also UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Good Practices Paper – Action 1: Resolving Existing Major Situations of Statelessness, 23 February 2015, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/54e75a244.html. 9 See also UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Good Practices Paper – Action 3: Removing Gender Discrimination from Nationality Laws, 6 March 2015, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/54f8377d4.html. 10 Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 7. 3 CAMPAIGN TO END STATELESSNESS WITHIN 10 YE ARS