Fundación CEPAIM, the European Network on Statelessness and the
Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion
Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at the 35th Session of
the Universal Periodic Review
Spain
Introduction
1. Fundación Cepaim, the European Network on Statelessness and the Institute on Statelessness and
Inclusion make this joint submission to the Human Rights Council at the 35th Session of the
Universal Periodic Review on the challenges pertaining to citizenship, statelessness and the
enjoyment of fundamental human rights in Spain.
2. Fundación Cepaim1 is an independent, cohesive and sustainable organisation whose aim is to
promote an inclusive and intercultural society, and to ensure that the most vulnerable people,
especially migrants, have full access to their rights. Based in Spain, with 34 offices, Cepaim
implements actions in the fields of reception and international protection, employment and
training, youth and family, development cooperation, rural development, equality and nondiscrimination, community-based development, and housing.
3. The European Network on Statelessness (ENS)2 is a civil society alliance of NGOs, lawyers,
academics, and other independent experts committed to addressing statelessness in Europe.
Based in London, it currently has over 140 members in 40 European countries, including Cepaim
in Spain. ENS organises its work around three pillars – law and policy development, awarenessraising and capacity-building. ENS provides expert advice and support to a range of stakeholders,
including governments.
4. The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion3 is an independent non-profit organisation committed
to an integrated, human rights-based response to the injustice of statelessness and exclusion
through a combination of research, education, partnerships and advocacy. Established in August
2014, it is the first and only global centre committed to promoting the human rights of stateless
persons and ending statelessness. The Institute has made over 40 country specific UPR submissions
on the human rights of stateless persons, and compiled summaries of the human rights challenges
related to statelessness in all countries under review under the 23rd to the 34rd UPR Sessions.
5. This submission focuses on:
I.
Spanish Nationality Law
II.
Stateless Population Data
III.
Statelessness Determination Procedure
IV.
Stateless Persons in Detention
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For more information about Fundación CEPAIM, see: http://cepaim.org/.
For more information about the European Network on Statelessness, see: www.statelessness.eu.
3 For more information, see www.institutesi.org. For more information on the Institute’s UPR advocacy, see
http://institutesi.org/projects/human-rights-advocacy.
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