We must ensure wellbeing and safety, and
address risks faced by stateless activists. Many
stateless activists cannot openly engage in work to
address statelessness because of safety concerns.
Ensuring safety and addressing the risks they face
is key to strengthening solidarity and creating a
more effective, resilient and sustainable field.
We must also promote wellbeing and address the
isolation that is often felt in the field.
Artistic and cultural expressions are vital tools
for building solidarity. The many facets of the Think
of Others arts and culture programme, created
spaces to build solidarity through encountering the
experiences and feelings of other human beings,
as fellow humans. Poetry, theatre, photography,
film, art and installations are all invaluable vehicles
through which we can build empathy and solidarity,
and as a field, we can challenge ourselves to use
these methods more effectively.
Expressions of solidarity between affected
communities are powerful and profound, as
exemplified at the conference by the solidarity
extended by Rohingya to Palestinians. More
needs to be done to cultivate such solidarity by
strengthening connections between groups and
raising awareness of the challenges they face.
Spaces such as the Global Movement Against
Statelessness, for communities from all over
the world to express their solidarity with each
other can strengthen the overall solidarity of the
statelessness field.
We need to build solidarity with others and
we need their solidarity. The statelessness field
is small and under-resourced, even though the
statelessness challenge is significant. Further, the
statelessness field can feel isolated, even though
the statelessness issue intersects with so many
other global challenges. As a field and movement,
we need to extend our solidarity to those pursuing
justice and rights on intersecting issues. We also
need the solidarity of funders, UN agencies and
other key allies.
“
Solidarity is to be willing to be vulnerable
without being in a position of defensiveness.
Coming from a place of humility and willingness
to listen. Knowing that I don’t know everything,
but I know something.”
Hafsar Tameesuddin
“
The three themes of the conference
definitely align with the vision and the mission
of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness,
which is forging a united collective coalition
to work towards ending statelessness and
upholding the rights of stateless people… We
need collaborative action to achieve progress.
Only by centring stateless individuals and
change makers, can we actually have progress
and achieve eradication of statelessness.”
Marin Roman