• 1965 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination States must ‘guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race, colour, or national or ethnic origin, to equality before the law’, particularly in the enjoyment of fundamental human rights, including the right to nationality. • 1979 Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women States parties shall grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality. They shall ensure in particular that neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the nationality of the husband. States parties shall grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children. • 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child States parties shall respect and ensure the rights … of each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s or his parents’ of legal guardian’s race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status. The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name and the right to acquire a nationality … • 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Every child shall have, without discrimination as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property or birth the right to such measures of protection as are required by his status as a minor, on the part of his family, society and State. Every child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have a name. Every child has the right to acquire nationality. • 1999 African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Every child shall have the right from birth to his name; every child shall be registered immediately after birth; every child has the right to acquire nationality. State parties shall ensure that their constitutional legislation recognises the principles according to which a child shall acquire nationality of the State in the territory in which he was born if, at the time of birth, he is not granted nationality by any other State in accordance with its laws. 3.1.3 The United Nations statelessness conventions South Africa has yet to sign and ratify either the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. As a result, legal practitioners in 16 Promoting citizenship and preventing statelessness in South Africa: A practitioner’s guide