EVALUATION OF UNHCR-LED INITIATIVES TO END STATELESSNESS – FINAL REPORT – VOLUME I 36. The 2001-2007 period served to create the required political momentum within and outside UNHCR. Coverage of statelessness was strengthened in UNHCR in 2004 with the addition of a small number of dedicated staff that led an internal and external communication effort to build internal awareness and understanding of UNHCR’s mandate and develop strategic partnerships, in particular with OHCHR. High Commissioner António Guterres began his tenure in 2005 and was particularly supportive. In a 2006 address to UNHCR’s ExCom, he called for boosting statelessness efforts through more operational support (in addition to legal advice) and increasing cooperation with UN agencies, NGOs and States.35 Phase 2: 2008-2014: Building operational capacity and international commitment 37. In 2008 a new head of the Statelessness Unit was hired, and the period that followed was characterized by UNHCR efforts to build capacity and international commitment. In 2009, a UNHCR Inspector General’s Report raised concerns about limited knowledge of the mandate for stateless persons in headquarters and the field.36 Buoyed by donor interest and support, and the need to increase staffing to adequately address statelessness in operations, a sub-roster within the Protection Surge deployment scheme was established. Furthermore, dedicated Statelessness Officers in selected regions and major/emerging statelessness operations were deployed from 2011. 37 Several internal and external informants considered this a turning point for UNHCR’s work on statelessness. The Unit issued a series of doctrinal and operational guidance documents and a self-study module to support staff in addressing statelessness. They also facilitated the development of the UN Secretary General’s Guidance Note on Statelessness to coordinate UN agency action. 38. In 2011, UNHCR organized a Ministerial Intergovernmental Event on Refugees and Stateless Persons. Numerous pledges were made which led to, inter alia, 45 new accessions to the two Conventions by 2014. The UNHCR RBM system and Pillar 2 budget designated for statelessness were introduced in 2012, effectively requiring field operations to include statelessness in their plans and budgets. Expenditure increased from USD 12m to 35.3m during the 2008-2014 period. UNHCR started holding an annual retreat on statelessness for large and small civil society actors. Building on staunch international commitment, in 2014, UNHCR launched the bold #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness in ten years and adopted the GAP which set out the actions and targets for States and other actors to achieve the goals of the campaign. Following the launch of the campaign the Statelessness Unit was elevated to become the Statelessness Section. Phase 3: 2015-2017: Supporting efforts to implement the GAP and cultivating coalitions 39. From 2015-2017, UNHCR supported States’ efforts in the framework of the GAP and built coalitions with member States, UN and other international organizations, civil society, and academia. Despite a Special Appeal for Statelessness in 2016, Pillar 2 expenditures remained stable at an annual median of USD 32.5m. The Statelessness Section produced additional guidance and communications, training courses, good practice papers and in-depth thematic reports aimed at a broader audience, part of a shift towards exploring the socio-political causes and implications of statelessness and building coalitions with groups working on children’s rights, women’s rights and minority rights issues. 40. Crucially, within the regions and with regional institutional partners, commitments were adopted in various forms illustrating the highly diverse statelessness contexts and efforts to increase understanding and commitment between States. At global level, UN Member States and UNHCR established the group of "Friends of the Campaign” in 2016 to coordinate diplomatic activity on statelessness. The same year, the UNHCR-UNICEF Coalition on Every Child’s Right to a Nationality paved the way for joint statelessness strategies in operations. Three-year Global Strategic Implementation Plans (GSIP) for the GAP were introduced to guide Operations as well as instruments to track GAP progress, achievements and pledges. 41. In 2016, the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF)38 was agreed by Member States in Annex 1 of the New York Declaration.39 In 2017 and 2018, the CRRF was rolled out in a number of refugee situations and lessons from its application were compiled. Inclusion is a key factor underpinning 35 Opening Statement by Mr. António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at the Fifty-seventh Session of the Executive Committee (ExCom) of the High Commissioner’s Programme, Geneva, 2 October 2006 – see: https://www.unhcr.org/asia/admin/hcspeeches/45210aac4/openingstatement-mr-antonio-guterres-united-nations-high-commissioner.html 36 UNHCR, 2009 Global Report, Operational Management. 37 ‘UNHCR Protection Staffing Benchmarks and Related Recommendations’, UNHCR DIP (March 2010). 38 Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, 2016. https://www.unhcr.org/comprehensive-refugee-response-framework-crrf.html 39 The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, 2016. https://www.unhcr.org/uk/new-york-declaration-for-refugees-and-migrants.html. The New York Declaration recognized statelessness as both a potential driver and consequence of forced displacement and encouraged Member States to take actions to reduce the incidence of statelessness in accordance with the 1954 and 1961 Conventions on statelessness. 10 UNHCR / May, 2021