UNHCR marks the fourth anniversary of the #IBelong Campaign Update, Switzerland ©UNHCR/S. Hopper
On 10 and 11 October, the European Network on
Statelessness convened an advocacy workshop in
Strasbourg to take stock of what the #RomaBelong
project has achieved so far, share learning and expertise,
and strategize and prioritize action for the next phase
of the project. The event brought together Roma civil
society, NGOs and key regional institutions. At a separate
event in Strasbourg on 10 October, the European
Network on Statelessness convened a lunchtime
reception where it presented its Statelessness INDEX,
an online comparative tool that assesses how countries
in Europe protect stateless people and what they are
doing to prevent and reduce statelessness. The event
also provided a forum to discuss recent action taken and
future activity by the Council of Europe.
From 16 to 19 October, the International Institute of
Humanitarian Law, with the support of UNHCR, organized
the 6th Course on Statelessness in Sanremo, Italy.
The course brought together government officials from
Cameroon, Greece, Israel, Italy, Pakistan, Serbia, Sri
Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia and Uganda, as well as representatives from
the OSCE.
From 17 to 19 October, the Latin American and
Caribbean Council of Civil Registration, Identity and
Vital Statistics (CLARCIEV) held its 15th annual meeting
in Cartagena, Colombia. The meeting brought together
representatives from civil registry institutions across the
region to exchange experiences and good practices with
respect to the registration and identification of stateless
persons. The meeting concluded with the adoption of a
declaration recognizing statelessness as a human right
violation and underlining the key role that National Civil
Registry Offices play in eradicating statelessness.
On 10 and 11 October, UNHCR facilitated the 7th Regional
Course on Statelessness in the Americas in Antigua,
Guatemala. The course was attended by 65 participants
from across the region, among them government
representatives, officers of the National Committees for
Refugees (CONARE), Inter-American System lawyers and
NGO staff. The course was an opportunity for participants
to improve their understanding of statelessness issues in
the region and to discuss the preparations for the HighLevel Event on Statelessness in 2019.
On 25 October, UNHCR held a workshop at the
Constitutional Court of Colombia, training 35
magistrates and magistrate assistants on the prevention
and reduction of statelessness. The topics covered in
the workshop included legal mechanisms to prevent and
resolve statelessness and the harmonization of domestic
law with international legal standards on statelessness
prevention.
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