8. INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) provides that everyone has a right to a nationality and noone shall be arbitrarily deprived of that right or the right to change their nationality.62Although Zimbabwe has not ratified the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, it is a state party to a range of regional and international human rights treaties relevant in ameliorating the hardships of stateless people as well as reducing statelessness. 8.1 INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) provides for the equal treatment of all people within a given territory.63 This means that even stateless people should not be discriminated against because of their national origin. In CCPR General Comment 15, the CCPR Committee emphasizes that in general the rights in the ICCPR apply to everyone, irrespective of his or her nationality or statelessness. 64 The Committee further provides that the rights contained in the ICCPR must be guaranteed without discrimination between citizens and aliens, subject to exceptions65 which include the possibility of an alien being expelled from their country of residence66 and the citizen’s right to vote, participate in public affairs and access public services.67 The ICCPR, to which Zimbabwe is a state party, provides that every child is entitled to a name and a birth certificate and has a right to acquire a nationality.68 The ICCPR proscribes any discrimination on grounds of ethnicity, nationality or social origin.69 8.2 INTERNATIONAL CONVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) obliges states parties to guarantee that the rights set out in the ICESCR will be exercised without discrimination of any kind as to race, political opinion, national origin or other status.70 This provision may apply to the state’s obligations to provide 62 See Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 2 provides that states parties should respect and ensure the rights of all individuals without distinction of any kind, such as political opinion or national origin. Zimbabwe is a state party to the ICCPR. 64 Article 1 of CCPR General Comment 15: The position of aliens under the ICCPR. 65 Article 2 of the CCPR General Comment 15; 66 See section 13 of the CCPR 67 See section 25 of the CCPR 68 Article 24 of the ICCPR 69 Article 26 of the ICCPR 70 Article 2(2) of the ICESCR. Zimbabwe is a state party to the ICESCR. 63 Article WE ARE LIKE “STRAY ANIMALS” THOUSANDS LIVING ON THE MARGINS DUE TO STATELESSNESS IN ZIMBABWE Amnesty International 25