Leaving No One Behind: Statelessness and the Sustainable Development Goals Integration of statelessness into national development plans One important way to ensure that statelessness is taken into account in all programming by government and development actors is to include the issue in national development plans. One country that has done this is the Philippines (see box (K)). ! K) Integration of statelessness into the national development plans of the Philippines The Philippines National Development Plan 2017–2022 included a specific focus on eradicating statelessness, mentioning the identification of populations at risk of statelessness, the issue of legal identity documents, the completion of processes relating to confirmation of nationality (Filipino or other) and legal and policy reforms. The plan also identified children of Filipinos based abroad among vulnerable groups, especially because of the risks of statelessness.206 The Philippines had already ratified the 1954 Convention in 2010 and went on to ratify the 1961 Convention in 2022 as part of this process. The UN partnership and cooperation frameworks for the Philippines adopted in 2020 and renewed in 2023 identify stateless persons and populations at risk of statelessness as being among vulnerable groups and recognize the importance of considering their needs when evaluating development programming.207 Advocacy by the UNHCR national office made an important contribution to this progress, including by convening round-table discussions and commissioning research on profile groups at risk of statelessness and the impacts of lack of documentation on the Sama Bajau people.208 For the purposes of the United Nations system, the most important document guiding support for development programming is currently the Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (SDCF), which has been agreed and signed between the government and the UN agencies. In preparation for the adoption of these frameworks, the UN agencies develop a “Common Country Analysis” to analyse the national development situation and identify priorities for advocacy; this process is an important opportunity to ensure that statelessness is considered. Although the references in SDCFs are often brief, they are an important indication of government consent to consider the question of statelessness as a national development issue. Thailand209 and Laos210 both include attention to stateless persons in their SDCFs (see box (L) below). Other countries whose SDCFs make reference to statelessness include: Côte d’Ivoire,211 Iraq,212 Kenya,213 the Philippines (see box) and Viet Nam.214 206. Philippines National Development Plan 2017–22, Chapter 11: Reducing Vulnerability of Individuals and Families (footnote 6) https://pdp.depdev.gov. ph/philippine-development-plan-2017-2022/. 207. Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development (PFSD) Philippines 2019–2023, 21 April 2020 https://philippines.un.org/en/42381-partnershipframework-sustainable-development-pfsd-2019-2023; UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework: Philippines 2024–2028; UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework: Philippines 2024–2028 https://philippines.un.org/en/250609-philippines-2024-2028-unitednations-sustainable-development-cooperation-framework. 208. UNHCR, “Profiling of persons at risk of statelessness, Sama Bajaus in Bongao Municipality, Tawi-Tawi Province”, March 2021 www. protectionclusterphilippines.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Sama-Bajau-Profiling-Report_final.pdf; UNHCR, “Philippines: desk review on populations at risk of statelessness”, April 2021 www.refworld.org/docid/6103f4174.html; “The plight of the Sama Bajau”, Yam Palma, UNHCR, 9 January 2019 www.unhcr.org/ph/15041-the-plight-of-the-sama-bajau.html. 209. Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) Thailand 2022–2026, 28 December 2021 https://thailand.un.org/en/166885-unitednations-sustainable-development-cooperation-framework-unsdcf-2022%E2%80%932026. 210. United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) Lao PDR 2022–2026, 2 December 2021 https://laopdr.un.org/ en/174699-lao-pdr-united-nations-sustainable-development-cooperation-framework-2022-2026. 211. Cadre de Coopération pour le Développement Durable (UNSDCF) Côte d’Ivoire 2021–2025, October 2020 https://cotedivoire.un.org/fr/111831-cadrede-coop%C3%A9ration-pour-le-d%C3%A9veloppement-durable-ccdd-2021-2025. 212. Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) Iraq 2020–2024, 6 September 2021 https://iraq.un.org/en/143250-united-nationssustainable-development-cooperation-framework-iraq-unsdcf. 213. Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) Kenya 2022–2026, 5 September 2022 https://kenya.un.org/en/198319-united-nationssustainable-development-cooperation-framework. 214. One Strategic Framework for Sustainable Development Cooperation Viet Nam 2022–2026, 28 November 2022 https://vietnam.un.org/en/209181one-strategic-framework-sustainable-development-2022-2026. 54