4 “Nationality” means a legal bond between a person and a State, and does not indicate a reference to the ethnic or racial origin of the person; “Parent” means the biological mother or father of a person or any person to whom family relationship with similar effects is established or recognised by law of the State Party concerned; “Person” means a natural person; “Recovery of nationality” means re-establishment of nationality by a person who was previously a national; “Renunciation of nationality” means the voluntary relinquishment of nationality by a person, in accordance with national law; “Spouse” means a husband or wife as recognised under the laws of the State Party concerned; “Stateless person” means a person who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law; “State succession” means the replacement of one State by another in the responsibility for the international relations of a territory occurring in conformity with and fulfilment of international law. ARTICLE 2 Objectives The objectives of this Protocol are to: a. Promote, protect and ensure respect for the right to a nationality in Africa; b. Ensure that statelessness in Africa is prevented and eradicated; c. Determine the general principles for the prevention, the elimination of the risk of statelessness and eradication of statelessness in Africa; d. Promote the aspirations of the African people for an African citizenship. ARTICLE 3 General Principles 1. It is for each State Party to determine, in accordance with its national law, who are its nationals, taking into due account the provisions of this Protocol and relevant international conventions that it has ratified, and the principles of international law generally recognised with regard to nationality.