1. INTRODUCTION “Everyone has the right to a nationality. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality, nor denied the right to change his nationality.”1 This right, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, may be true in theory but the reality in practice is less clear. Since 1948, the United Nations and other international bodies have adopted resolutions and conventions highlighting the importance of preventing and eliminating statelessness.2 Despite recognising that every person should have a nationality, there are currently an estimated 10 million stateless people globally, around 600,000 of whom are in Europe.3 According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), every 10 minutes a baby is born stateless around the world.4 In recent years, political instability and the global refugee crisis have made the topic of statelessness ever more relevant. Especially where children on the move are concerned, states are under the obligation to ensure that they are protected in law. As a signatory to the UN Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons 1954 (1954 Convention) and one of the first five states to ratify the UN Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness 1961 (1961 Convention), Austria has recognised the importance of safeguarding nationality rights to prevent statelessness. Nonetheless, gaps in Austrian nationality law remain with growing concern about children at risk of being born stateless in Austria. 1 Article 15 Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 Batchelor, “Statelessness and the Problem of Resolving Nationality Status” (International Journal of Refugee Law, Vol 10. No 1/2) (Oxford University Press, 1998), p.156 2  3 UNHCR, Statelessness around the world, http://www.unhcr.org/statelessness-around-the-world.html (accessed 6 January 2017) 4 UNHCR, “I belong” Campaign, http://www.unhcr.org/ibelong/ (accessed 6 January 2017) www.dlapiper.com | 03