Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion and Statelessness Network Asia Pacific Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at the 35th Session of the Universal Periodic Review Lao People's Democratic Republic Introduction 1. The Statelessness Network Asia Pacific and the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion make this joint submission to the Human Rights Council at the 35th Session of the Universal Periodic Review on the challenges pertaining to citizenship, statelessness and the enjoyment of fundamental human rights in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). 2. The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion1 is an independent non-profit organisation committed to an integrated, human rights based response to the injustice of statelessness and exclusion through a combination of research, education, partnerships and advocacy. Established in August 2014, it is the first and only global centre committed to promoting the human rights of stateless persons and ending statelessness. The Institute has made over 40 country specific UPR submissions on the human rights of stateless persons, and also compiled summaries of the key human rights challenges related to statelessness in all countries under review under the 23rd to the 34rd UPR Sessions. 3. The Statelessness Network Asia Pacific2 is a civil society coalition with the goal of promoting collaboration and information sharing on addressing statelessness in Asia and the Pacific. SNAP is driven by a diverse membership and through direct engagement and contribution from its members and stakeholders, particularly formerly stateless persons, stateless persons and persons at risk of statelessness. 4. This submission focuses on: I. II. III. Nationality Law Framework; Access to birth registration; and Treatment of the Hmong Ethnic Group Lao People's Democratic Republic Universal Periodic Review under the Second Cycle 2015 5. The National Report submitted by Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) pursuant to the Second Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) distributed on 5 November 2014 largely does not discuss the issue of statelessness.3 1 For more information, see www.institutesi.org. For more information on the Institute’s UPR advocacy, see http://institutesi.org/projects/human-rights-advocacy. 2 For more information, see https://www.statelessnessnetworkasiapacific.org/. 3 Human Rights Council (Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review), National report submitted in accordance with 1