© UNHCR/Jean Marc Ferré Treaty Event UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi (centre-right) and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed (centre-left) recognise states that have joined one or both of the UN Statelessness Conventions since UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign was launched in November 2014. Deputy Secretary-General’s remarks at the Treaty Event By Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations 7 October 2019 Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is with great pleasure that I join you today in celebrating the commitment of States to end statelessness. We are here to witness the accession of Angola and Colombia to the Statelessness Conventions. We will also recognize the 15 States that have acceded to one or both of these instruments in the past five years – the first half of UNHCR’s decadelong #IBelong Campaign. I congratulate the people and Governments of all States participating in this ceremony on their commitment to the human rights and dignity of all. Statelessness makes people invisible. When people are unable to prove their identity, they may be unable to access basic services like education and healthcare. Statelessness can deny people and communities their identity and sense of self, contributing to the breakdown of family and social relationships and creating legal problems for generations. And stateless people are voiceless people. Prevented from voting or participating in public life, they are without representation anywhere. Our world has many problems that are complex and intractable. Statelessness is not one of them. It is a problem we can solve. U N H C R > H I G H - L E V E L S E G M E N T O N S T A T E L E S S N E S S : R E S U LT S A N D H I G H L I G H T S 13