OUR ACTIVITIES AND IMPACT STATELESSNESS INDEX – NEW TOOL TO COMPARE HOW DIFFERENT COUNTRIES ADDRESS STATELESSNESS In March 2018 we successfully launched our Statelessness Index – a new online tool that for the first time enables instant comparison of how different countries protect stateless people and what they are doing to prevent and reduce statelessness. The Index assesses each country’s approach against international norms and good practices. http Statelessness has been a largely hidden and overlooked issue. The Index not only helps fill this gap, but facilitates effective monitoring, whilst supporting governments to comply with their international and regional obligations. In cooperation with our members, we’re continuing to add new countries, bringing the present total to 18. We’re also developing additional Index data, such as policy briefings, training packages and awareness raising materials. ://in dex .sta tele ssne ss.e u STRENGTHENING OUR CO-OPERATION WITH THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE As a result of our co-operation and joint work with the Council of Europe, ENS has been granted participatory status and invited to join the Conference of INGOs. This will allow the Network to further strengthen engagement with the work of the Strasbourg institutions, including to further raise the profile of statelessness with the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly as well as with other Council of Europe bodies. In October 2018, we co-hosted a lunchtime reception with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at the Palais in Strasbourg. Whilst addressing statelessness in Europe, it was an opportunity to present our Statelessness Index and to influence the work and actions of the Council of Europe with high profile speakers. During the meeting we received strong endorsements from senior Council of Europe officials and national parliamentarians, who pledged to work with us on finding practical solutions to address statelessness. ENS continues to commit to the ongoing process to develop a Council of Europe Action Plan on protecting refugee and migrant children, including actions that ensure every child’s right to a nationality. This action plan has been partly shaped by stakeholder and civil society initiatives, such as the ENS #StatelessKids campaign and the UNHCR #IBelong campaign, which helped secure the inclusion of an action on every child’s right to a nationality. Strasbourg, October 2018 – Launch of our Statelessness at the Council of Europe. Speakers included Doris Fiala (Chairperson of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and D Christos Giakoumopoulos (Director General of the Director Human Rights and Rule of Law), Ksenija Turkovi (Judge of th Court of Human Rights) and Chris Nash (ENS Director).