Part I. Introduction and Context rules relating to nationality101 and can be viewed as a turning point with regard to nationality and statelessness matters. Indeed, Laura van Waas has called the adoption of this treaty “a watershed moment in the international community’s dealings with nationality issues”.102 Because conflicts of nationality laws can cause statelessness when persons remain without any nationality of any state involved in a particular situation – are “left ‘unclaimed’ by any state as its national”103 – the 1930 Hague Convention remains relevant to the topic of this chapter, even if its pertinence today is limited in light of the number of states parties to the Convention and the number of reservations that were made to this treaty.104 The 1930 Hague Convention was a “first international attempt to provide everyone with a nationality”105, and attempted to prevent statelessness among the following groups: married women (whose nationality was often, and sometimes still is, dependent on their husband)106 and children (including foundlings and adopted children).107 The 1930 Hague Convention clearly aims to solve conflicts of nationality laws108 and avoid loss of nationality without the acquisition of a new one109, but is also concerned specifically with preventing and solving childhood statelessness. The 1930 Hague Convention was accompanied by protocols, of which two concerned statelessness.110 The Protocol relating to a Certain Case of Statelessness111 “only directs states to grant their nationality to children born in their territory who would otherwise be stateless but are nevertheless born to a mother who possesses the nationality of the country of birth”.112 The Special Protocol concerning Statelessness113 only entered into force in 2004 and concerns the specific situation where a person, after entering a foreign country, loses his nationality without acquiring a new one. In such 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 28 On other attempts at formulating principles relating to nationality before the 1930 Hague Convention see Ruth Donner, The Regulation of Nationality in International Law (2nd ed, Transnational Publishers, Inc 1994) 43–45. Laura van Waas, ‘A 100-year (Hi)Story of Statelessness’ (Peace Palace Library Blog, 25 August 2016) <https://peacepalacelibrary.nl/blog/2016/100-year-history-statelessness> accessed 4 September 2021. Laura van Waas, Nationality Matters. Statelessness under International Law (School of Human Rights Research Series, Vol 29; Intersentia 2008) 32. The 1930 Hague Convention attracted a number of signatures not followed by ratification. For the current status of the 1930 Hague Convention, see the overview provided by the online United Nations Treaty Collection <https://treaties.un.org/pages/LONViewDetails.aspx?src=LON&id=516&chapter=3 0&clang=_en> (accessed 4 September 2021). Carol A Batchelor, ‘Stateless Persons: Some Gaps in International Protection’ (1995) 7 International Journal of Refugee Law 232, 249. Arts 8–11 1930 Hague Convention. Arts 12–17 1930 Hague Convention. Preamble to 1930 Hague Convention. See also Art 7 1930 Hague Convention. The other one was the Protocol relating to Military Obligations in Certain Cases of Double Nationality adopted 12 April 1930, entered into force 25 May 1937) 178 LTS 227. Protocol relating to a Certain Case of Statelessness (adopted 12 April 1930, entered into force 1 July 1937) 179 LTS 115. Gerard-René de Groot & Olivier Willem Vonk, International Standards on Nationality Law. Text, Cases and Materials (Wolf Legal Publishers 2015) 98. Special Protocol concerning Statelessness (adopted 12 April 1930, entered into force 15 March 2004) 2252 UNTS 435. Intersentia