EVALUATION OF UNHCR-LED INITIATIVES TO END STATELESSNESS – FINAL REPORT – VOLUME I
development support to governments; provision of information, legal aid and documentation to stateless
persons and those at risk of statelessness; and research and evidence generation to identify stateless
populations and those at risk of statelessness and develop information on key thematic issues.
50. In order to structure and prioritize its own contributions to the 10 Actions of the GAP, UNHCR developed
a Global Strategy and Implementation Plan for the Campaign to End Statelessness 2016-2018 (the
GSIP). The GSIP emphasizes the importance of partnerships for achieving the goals of the Campaign
and stresses UNHCR’s key role in increasing States’ bilateral, regional and multilateral activity on issues
of statelessness. It also prioritizes particular Actions within the GAP for UNHCR to focus on, notably
Action 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Extension of the GSIP to cover the period 2018-2020 preserved the same
priorities but included more detailed planning tools to influence and guide operational planning and
situated UNHCR’s work more visibly within current global processes, including implementation of the
Sustainable Development Agenda. A draft update to the GSIP for 2020-2022 adds Action 6 to the priority
actions.
4.5 UNHCR structure for statelessness work
51. Responsibility for statelessness is spread across UNHCR. Within DIP at Headquarters, the Statelessness
Section has responsibility for producing resources, guidance and tools, providing technical support and
legal guidance to RBs (and through them to COs), producing global campaign updates and publications
on specific challenges and solutions related to statelessness, and promoting learning on statelessness
across the organization.
52. A temporary position of Special Advisor on Statelessness reported to the Assistant High Commissioner
(Protection), with terms of reference focused on preparing for the HLS, and provided the High
Commissioner with an assessment of the HLS and mid-term progress with recommendations on the way
forward. Successive High Commissioners, Assistant High Commissioners and Deputy High
Commissioners have pursued UNHCR’s agenda on statelessness. Responsibilities for #IBelong
Campaign communications materials and events are shared between DIP and DER, which currently has
one temporary dedicated person working on the Campaign.
53. Dedicated Statelessness Officers are located in most of UNHCR’s RBs; with re-establishment of such a
post planned in the Americas47. In the Middle East and North Africa RB, statelessness is included within
the responsibilities of one of the Regional Protection Officers. Few COs have positions dedicated to
statelessness and the issue is generally covered within the wider remit of individuals and teams covering
protection. Other parts of UNHCR have responsibilities for statelessness within the broader remit of their
work, including: the Global Data Service (for improving statistical definitions and data on the number of
stateless people and persons with undetermined nationality); Data and Information Management and
Analysis teams (for identity management including national legal frameworks and policies on civil
registration and legal identity documentation); the Division of Resilience and Solutions (for including
stateless people within its work on livelihoods and economic inclusion, education and partnerships with
development actors); the Division of Strategic Planning and Results (for ensuring that statelessness
features in planning, resource allocation and result-based management processes); and the Evaluation
Service (for generating evaluative evidence on UNHCR’s statelessness work) to name a few.
5. Key findings
54. The key findings of the evaluation are grouped under three themes. Section 5.1 presents the overall
UNHCR contribution to results, answering main evaluation questions 1, 2 and 3. Section 5.2 discusses
key enabling and hindering factors that shape UNHCR’s approaches or efforts, addressing evaluation
sub-questions 3.3 and 4.3 regarding contextual influences. Section 5.3 provides findings on institutional
effectiveness, addressing evaluation question 5. Promising practices, innovation and learning (evaluation
question 4) are embedded throughout the three sections of key findings. An assessment of the evidence
in support of each finding is presented in Annex 5.
47
Though this position is intended to provide support to the whole region, it is now planned to be physically located in the Dominican Republic.
UNHCR / May, 2021
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