UNHCR’s Global Action Plan to End Statelessness UNHCR’s Global Action Plan to End Statelessness Since its establishment, UNHCR has been mandated to protect and assist refugees who are also stateless. Article 1 of the 1951 Refugee Convention addresses the situation of refugees “not having a nationality”. In 1995, this mandate was extended by the UN General Assembly to cover all stateless populations globally, including those who are not refugees.5 In line with this mandate, UNHCR’s Executive Committee called on UNHCR in 2006 to work together with States to achieve four core goals: ● ● ● ● Identify stateless groups and individuals Protect their human rights Prevent new cases of statelessness, and Reduce existing situations of statelessness.6 To further operationalize this framework, UNHCR launched the #I Belong Campaign in 2014, which includes a Global Action Plan to End Statelessness (GAP) in a decade by promoting concrete action in 10 key areas.7 Action 1: Resolve existing major situations of statelessness. Action 2: Ensure that no child is born stateless. Action 3: Remove gender discrimination from nationality laws. Action 4: Prevent denial, loss or deprivation of nationality on discriminatory grounds. Action 5: Prevent statelessness in cases of State succession. Action 6: Grant protection status to stateless migrants and facilitate their naturalization. Action 7: Ensure birth registration for the prevention of statelessness. Action 8: Issue nationality documentation to those with entitlement to it. Action 9: Accede to the UN Statelessness Conventions. Action 10: Improve quantitative and qualitative data on stateless populations. 5 In 1974, UNHCR received a provisional mandate from the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for all stateless people, including those who are not refugees (Resolution 3274). In 1995, UNGA Resolution 50/152 issued UNHCR a continuing mandate to facilitate protection and prevention in relation to statelessness, while also calling on States to prevent statelessness. 6 UNHCR, Conclusion on Identification, Prevention and Reduction of Statelessness and Protection of Stateless Persons, 6 October 2006, No. 106 (LVII) - 2006, at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/453497302.html. 7 UNHCR, Global Action Plan to End Statelessness, 4 November 2014, at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/545b47d64.html 6