so l u t i o n s I am here, I belong The strongest message to emerge from the con- ©UNHCR / C. HERWIG sultations with children and youth was that they exist and want to be recognized. “I am a human being;” “It’s a fact, before your eyes, that I exist;” “I am a part of this society;” “We are all of this earth,” were among the common sentiments expressed. Despite not being recognized as nationals of the countries in which they were born and had lived their entire lives, almost all the children and youths consulted felt deeply loyal to their country: “I feel Dominican … regardless of documents,” says Paloma from the Dominican Republic. None of the participants consulted had chosen to be stateless, and statelessness had not stopped any of them from establishing ties or wanting to participate in and contribute to their communities. “This is the best country in the world,” says Julio (23), in the Zainab and her baby boy, Syrian refugees, Jordan. 22 S TAT E L E S S N E S S R E P O R T Dominican Republic, “but every country has some defects that we need to work on. You need to have an ID to be able to do that.” International law recognizes the right of every child to a nationality. This is clearly set out in Article 7 of the almost universally ratified United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states: “The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and, as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.” This protection is reflected in numerous other international and regional instruments. Human rights bodies and UN institutions have emphasized that the principle of the best interests of the child demands that children be protected from statelessness. In almost all cases of childhood statelessness, the best solution is to give children the nationality of the country they were born in and have lived all their lives. It is vital that this be achieved as early as possible so that no child grows up with the privations caused by statelessness. It is not only in the child’s best interests, but also in the interests of the State to address statelessness at birth or as soon as possible afterwards. Stateless children must also be allowed to enjoy their basic rights, including to education and health, until they acquire a nationality. This also contributes to integration and social cohesion. Once their legal status is resolved, stateless children can pursue their dreams and contribute to society: “Now that I have a cedula [national ID], I have proof that I am a Dominican and I can do anything that any other Dominican can do,” says Wildiana (18). The prevention and resolution of childhood statelessness is one of the key goals UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness in 10 Years. To achieve this, UNHCR urges all States to take the following steps, in line with Actions 2, 3, 4 and 7 of UNHCR’s Global Action Plan to End Statelessness: „ Allow children to gain the nationality of the country in which they are born if they would otherwise be stateless. „ Reform laws that prevent mothers from passing their nationality to their children on an equal basis as fathers. „ Eliminate laws and practices that deny children nationality because of their ethnicity, race or religion. „ Ensure universal birth registration to prevent statelessness. The conflict in Syria, the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, has driven more than four million refugees into neighbouring States. Displacement on this scale is placing children at risk of statelessness. Because of gender discrimination in Syria’s nationality law, Syrian children can only acquire nationality through their fathers. But the conflict has left some 25 per cent of Syrian refugee households without fathers to help verify nationality, making a birth certificate naming a Syrian father the sole means of proving a child’s citizenship in many cases. As one Syrian refugee father noted: “If they don’t have a birth certificate, it’s like they don’t exist.” Reem (21) was forced to flee Syria in 2014, while pregnant, after a bomb killed her husband and destroyed her home. Once in Jordan, she gave birth in a hospital located within the main refugee camp in Zaatari, to her son Adnan. Reem knew that the process of registering Adnan would be difficult without her husband and without the marriage certificate that the couple did not obtain in Syria—a legal requirement when registering new births in all countries in the region. A lot of Syrian refugees dream of one day returning to Syria and raising their babies in peace. Mohammad (33), father of three children worries: “One day we will to return to Syria. But how can we if I have no way to prove my children are Syrian?” Fortunately, the Jordanian Government has established a personal status court (Shari’a court) and civil status department within the Zaatari refugee camp to validate and register marriages and ensure that every child begins life with a birth certificate. The certificate serves as proof of identity and shows the child’s link to Syria. “Irrespective of the circumstances, as long as a birth takes place in Jordanian territory, it is our responsibility to register it,” says the chief of the Civil Status Department. In two years, the births of 3,597 Syrian children born in Zaatari Camp have been registered. Stateless children and youth are not asking for special treatment. They are only asking for equal treatment: the chance to have the same opportunities as other children. It is our responsibility to give them this chance. “Just like my friends and others, I wish to live a normal human life.” S TAT E L E S S N E S S R E P O R T KAVITA, 22, MALAYSIA 23