Dilnaz Usenova, a third-year student from Kazakhstan (left), receives the prize from UNHCR for winning the regional Central Asian research paper
competition for students on "Nationality and Statelessness: Modern Challenges and Innovative Solutions". © UNHCR/Yelena Sim
On 26 and 27 August, in Tunisia, UNHCR and
the Arab Institute for Human Rights convened a
workshop on the prevention of statelessness in
the country. The workshop gathered a group of 15
Tunisian lawyers and judges to discuss current gaps
in the nationality legislation, policies and practices.
The importance of lifting Tunisia’s reservations to the
1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness
was highlighted as was the need to support
adherence to the Draft Protocol to the African
Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the
Specific Aspects on the Right to a Nationality and
the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa.
On 1 September, the Regional Central Asian
Research Paper Competition for Students on
“Nationality and Statelessness: Modern Challenges
and Innovative Solutions” was concluded. The
competition, organized by UNHCR, the Al-Farabi
Kazakh National University and the Central Asian
Network on Statelessness, aimed to stimulate
research on statelessness. Submissions covered
topics such as the socio-economic rights of stateless
persons, consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic
for stateless persons and innovative solutions for
accelerating the reduction of statelessness. An
independent jury selected winners from Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
On 3 September, UNHCR and the African Committee
on Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
launched a three-month pilot learning course on the
eradication of childhood statelessness in the East
and Horn of Africa. Participants from civil society
and national human rights institutes are being
equipped with the legal knowledge and tools to
be able to monitor, report and advocate on issues
relating to birth registration and nationality.
In September, the European Network on
Statelessness and Fundación Cepaim organized
a series of online webinars to discuss key issues
faced by stateless people in Europe today and
identify opportunities for law and policy reform.
While the first session focused on closing protection
gaps and addressing statelessness in Europe,
subsequent webinars focused specifically on
statelessness in Spain. Participants included
stateless persons, activists, representatives of the
refugee community, NGOs, policy makers, and
UNHCR.
3