EC/68/SC/CRP.13 D. Promoting accession 15. Through workshops, targeted letters and other outreach, UNHCR advocated accessions to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (1954 Convention) and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (1961 Convention). The statelessness Conventions were also featured during the annual United Nations treaty event in 2016. During the reporting period, three States acceded to the 1954 Convention (Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Sierra Leone) and five States acceded to the 1961 Convention (Belize, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Mali and Sierra Leone). These accessions bring the total number of parties to both Conventions to 89 and 68, respectively. In February 2017, Luxembourg’s Parliament adopted a law approving accession to the 1961 Convention and facilitating the acquisition of nationality for stateless persons. In March 2017, the Parliament of Haiti voted to accede to both statelessness Conventions. E. Strengthening partnerships 16. A new “Group of friends” of the Campaign to End Statelessness was launched during the reporting period. It includes some 20 States engaged in advocacy and that are promoting opportunities to address the problem through United Nations human rights mechanisms, the sustainable development goals, and processes related to the global compacts on refugees and for safe, orderly and regular migration. UNHCR has also strengthened its partnerships with United Nations agencies, NGOs, and academic institutions. For example, in late 2016, UNHCR and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) co-launched a Coalition on Every Child’s Right to Nationality, and joint statelessness strategies are underway accordingly in more than 20 countries. Also in 2016, UNHCR partnered with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF, the private sector and others to produce new principles on identification for sustainable development, which promote the inclusion of all individuals in national identification systems, consistent with target 16.9 of the sustainable development goals.6 17. In 2015, UNHCR, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Parliament of South Africa co-organized the “Conference on ensuring everyone’s right to a nationality: The role of parliaments in preventing and ending statelessness”, which was attended by more than 100 parliamentarians from 39 countries. An outcome document adopted at the conference featured a seven-point plan of action.7 This plan includes the review of national legislation to ensure compliance with international standards to prevent and reduce statelessness, and legislative reform to remove any discrimination from nationality laws. 18. In 2015 and 2016, UNHCR hosted statelessness retreats with over 50 civil society groups. Thematic and country-level priorities for collective action, such as the development of new tools to assist paralegals in providing counselling to stateless persons and to support the identification and protection of stateless persons in detention, were outlined. UNHCR also supported the establishment of new regional statelessness networks in Asia and the Pacific, Central Asia and Southern Africa. In order to boost the capacity of NGOs, government officials and others, the International Institute for Humanitarian Law launched a course on statelessness in 2016. The course was held again in April 2017 and will now form part of the Institute’s regular annual curriculum. A total of 87 participants from 51 countries have benefitted from this new training opportunity. Following a successful conference on 6 7 6 See https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg16. Available from http://www.ipu.org/splz-e/captown15/outcome.pdf.