Reduction of statelessness can therefore bolster national reconciliation and help prevent a return to conflict. When linked with efforts to address underlying societal discrimination, UN action to resolve statelessness may also form the basis for poverty reduction and sustainable, inclusive development. The UN General Assembly has entrusted the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with a mandate relating to the identification, prevention and reduction of statelessness and protection of stateless persons. However, this Guidance Note affirms that all UN entities system-wide must increase their efforts to address statelessness. The UN should tackle both the causes and consequences of statelessness as a key priority within the Organization’s broader efforts to strengthen the rule of law. Given the magnitude and complexity of the problem and the damaging impact on human lives, efforts would need to be redoubled to prevent statelessness and to address statelessness wherever it occurs, including in States outside of UN peace and political operations. The UN, particularly UNHCR, also needs to provide leadership in this regard and work with States, international and regional organizations, and non-governmental organizations. This Guidance Note outlines the guiding principles and policy framework for action to address statelessness, including concrete activities to be undertaken and required institutional arrangements. A. GUIDING PRINCIPLES UN engagement in addressing statelessness should be guided by a number of principles that support the development, promotion and implementation of international norms relating to statelessness. The policy framework set forth below enunciates this set of guiding principles and is the result of an assessment of international legal standards and the experience of the UN in addressing statelessness to date. 1. Base action on international norms and standards related to nationality and statelessness Internationally agreed rules relating to the prevention and reduction of statelessness and standards of treatment of stateless persons address many of the challenges faced by stateless individuals. Such rules are provided by an inter-related set of norms found in two international conventions on statelessness, a range of standards contained in universal and regional human rights and other instruments, and customary international law.4 The prerogative of States to determine the rules for acquisition, change and loss of nationality is limited by international law, in particular human rights law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 15) establishes the universal right of every individual to a nationality, a right which has been reaffirmed by a number of universal and regional human rights instruments, including the American Convention on Human Rights (article 20) and the European Convention on Nationality (article 4). As a corollary to this right, States must make every effort to avoid statelessness through legislative, administrative and other measures. 4 An overview of the international legal framework is provided in UN Human Rights Council, Human rights and arbitrary deprivation of nationality: report of the Secretary-General, 14 December 2009. 2009, A/HRC/13/34, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4b83a9cb2.html. -3-