particularly given that UNHCR has reported this figure since 2013.6 Moreover, this figure does not include the estimated 438,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria, who are also stateless, with the exception of those who have naturalised outside the region (e.g. in Europe).7 4. This submission therefore focuses on: ● Gender discrimination in Syria’s nationality law ● Conflict related challenges ● The Kurdish Population ● Palestinians Previous UPR of Syria under the First and Second Cycle 5. Syria was previously reviewed during the 12th and 26th sessions of the UPR, in 2011 and 2016 respectively. 6. In the first cycle, during the 12th session, Syria did not receive any recommendations specifically related to nationality law or statelessness. However, there were different recommendations on Syria’s international obligations especially under the ICCPR, CRC, and CEDAW, three relevant treaties that contain fundamental principles also related to the right to a nationality. Syria received three recommendations from Indonesia,8 the Maldives9 and Poland10 to bring national laws in line with international obligations. Syria also received recommendations on gender equality (for example, Bangladesh recommended that Syria “strengthen efforts to further promote empowerment of women”11), and the Republic of Korea recommended that Syria “promptly undertake measures to address allegations relating to (…), violence against women and girls”,12 a phenomenon that is exacerbated by the prevalence of gender discriminatory nationality laws.13 Syria accepted all these recommendations.14 7. In the second cycle, during the 26th session, Syria received two recommendations relevant to nationality: Czechia recommended that Syria “conduct a review of the personal status law and other relevant laws, which will remove the provisions that are 6 However, assessing the statelessness situation in Syria is incredibly difficult for all actors, due to access limitations to parts of the country, as well as regular population movements. 7 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), “Where We Work,” available at: https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/syria. 8 Human Rights Council, ‘Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on the Syrian Arab Republic,’ A/HRC/19/11 (1st cycle, 24 January 2012), Recommendation 100.1. 9 Human Rights Council, ‘Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on the Syrian Arab Republic,’ A/HRC/19/11 (1st cycle, 24 January 2012), Recommendation 100.2. 10 Human Rights Council, ‘Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on the Syrian Arab Republic,’ A/HRC/19/11 (1st cycle, 24 January 2012), Recommendation 102.1. 11 Human Rights Council, ‘Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on the Syrian Arab Republic,’ A/HRC/19/11 (1st cycle, 24 January 2012), Recommendation 100.35. 12 Human Rights Council, ‘Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on the Syrian Arab Republic,’ A/HRC/19/11 (1st cycle, 24 January 2012), Recommendation 102.8. 13 Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, ‘Ending Gender-Based Violence Requires Equal Citizenship’, September 2020, Available at: https://equalnationalityrights.org/images/zdocs/Impact-of-GenderDiscrimination-in-Nationality-Laws-on-Gender-Based-Violence.pdf 14 For a full list of recommendations relating to gender equality, see Annex 1. 2