Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at the 38th Session of the Universal Periodic Review. DENMARK Introduction 1. The European Network on Statelessness and the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion make this joint submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), on the right of every child to acquire a nationality and human rights challenges pertaining to childhood statelessness in Denmark. 2. The European Network on Statelessness (ENS) 1 is a civil society alliance of NGOs, lawyers, academics, and other independent experts committed to addressing statelessness in Europe. Based in London, it currently has over 150 members in 41 European countries. ENS organises its work around three pillars – law and policy development, awareness-raising, and capacity-building. ENS provides expert advice and support to a range of stakeholders, including governments. This submission draws on information and analysis provided by ENS’s members in Denmark. 3. The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) is the first and only human rights NGO dedicated to working on statelessness at the global level. ISI’s mission is to promote inclusive societies by realising and protecting everyone’s right to a nationality. The Institute has made over 70 country specific UPR submissions on the human rights of stateless persons, of which over 20 have been submitted in collaboration with the European Network on Statelessness. ISI has also compiled summaries of the key human rights challenges related to statelessness in all countries under review under the 23rd to the 36th UPR Sessions.2 4. Despite a positive ratification record of relevant international treaties and some existing safeguards in domestic legislation, Danish law and practice fail to adequately respect, protect, and fulfil every child’s right to acquire a nationality. In light of Denmark’s international obligations, recommendations issued to Denmark during previous Universal Periodic Reviews, the importance of the eradication of statelessness as expressed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees #IBelong campaign 3 and the 1 For more information see: www.statelessness.eu. For more information see: www.institutesi.org 3 The UNHCR #IBelong campaign aims to eradicate statelessness by the year 2024, see further: http://www.unhcr.org/ibelong. 2 1