On 8 October, the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion organized a webinar “Together we can: A consortium to protect the stateless in times of COVID-19”. The webinar showcased projects being implemented by an alliance of NGOs and citizenship rights activists who are on the frontline of the crisis. The projects are made possible thanks to the COVID-19 Emergency Statelessness Fund which was recently set up by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion. On 27 August, a number of organizations including UNICEF, the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI), the Global Campaign on Equal Nationality Rights, and UNHCR participated in a webinar to launch a text and materials book on ‘The child’s right to a nationality and childhood statelessness’. The publication comprises excerpts from relevant sources - book chapters, reports, articles, jurisprudence, UN materials and treaty provisions - which were selected to provide an introduction to concepts related to childhood statelessness and to build the capacity of practitioners working in relevant fields. On 26 August, the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness hosted a panel discussion on the effects of COVID-19 on stateless persons, refugees and asylum seekers who seek protection in Australia. A recording of the event is available here. Implementation of the Global Action Plan In line with Action 1, Resolve existing major situations of statelessness, in July, members of the Pemba community in Kenya made submissions at a hearing of the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Kilifi County Assembly in relation to a petition they submitted in March. The Pemba are a stateless community who qualify for citizenship under Kenya’s nationality law but lack evidence to prove eligibility. A representative of the Pemba community shared how their lack of nationality impedes their effective enjoyment of rights, while local communities and government officials detailed how they live in peaceful cohesion with the Pemba community. In August, a field verification exercise among the Pemba community was carried out by the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee of the local assembly and it is expected that the Committee will draft a report detailing their findings and making recommendations for the registration of the Pemba in Kenya. Mekombo Abdalla and her husband Hassan Mbwana are members of the stateless Pemba community who qualify for citizenship under Kenya’s nationality law but lack evidence to prove eligibility. © UNHCR/Roger Arnold 4