Statelessness Displaced: Update on Syria’s Stateless Kurds Thomas McGee Statelessness Working Paper Series No. 2016/02 Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion June 2016 Author biography Thomas McGee is a researcher and humanitarian practitioner specialising in the Middle East. Speaking Arabic and Kurdish, he has conducted extensive field research with Syrian/Kurdish communities since 2009. Thomas graduated from Cambridge University and holds MA in Kurdish Studies from Exeter, writing his thesis on stateless identity for Syria’s Kurds. He has published on Kurdish statelessness in Tilburg Law Review and contributed to the MENA Nationality and Statelessness Research Project. Meanwhile, Thomas has worked with several humanitarian agencies, including UNHCR. Author email thomas.mcgee@cantab.net Keywords Syria – Kurdistan – Iraq – stateless refugees – ajanib – maktumeen – UNHCR Abstract This paper provides a case study update on the situation of stateless persons – specifically ajanib and maktumeen Kurds from Syria – and focuses on the forced displacement from their country of origin. It considers the protection regime in place for the many stateless Syrian Kurds now in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as well as what more can be done to protect those seeking a durable solution in a third country. This includes a consideration of UN-facilitated resettlement schemes, such as the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) programme to the UK, which presently excludes stateless Syrians at a time when increased numbers from the stateless community are risking travel to Europe by illegal means. Finally, the paper highlights some concerning policy assumptions affecting stateless persons within the present European refugee/asylum context.