What is ‘Nationality’ and ‘Citizenship?’ ‘Citizenship to me means protection and certainty for my children. Without it, I fear they have no future,’ Amir, stateless Palestinian father of fourxxxv The terms ‘nationality’ and ‘citizenship’ are often used interchangeably. ‘Nationality’ is a term used to describe an individual’s link to the state (or ‘country’) in the context of international law.xxxvi ‘Citizenship’ is the term that is usually used in a domestic context, for example in domestic law.xxxvii How Does Someone Become Stateless? There are many causes of statelessness globally; while some people are born stateless, others become stateless in their lifetime.xxxviii Significantly, in countries where nationality is based on decent, statelessness can be passed on from one generation to another. Discrimination is the most significant cause of statelessness, including on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, language and or gender.xxxix Other causes of statelessness include:  The dissolution of states and or changes in national borders;  Decolonisation;  Gaps in nationality laws;  Loss of deprivation of nationality;  Lack of birth registration. 28