BACKGROUND BACKGROUND Background NFA was formed from the work undertaken by the Statelessness Network Asia Pacific (SNAP) over four years to build a regional civil society movement on addressing statelessness in the region. In October 2020, SNAP transitioned from a project hosted by the Malaysian NGO Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas (DHRRA) Malaysia to an organization registered in Australia under the new name of Nationality for All (NFA). To identify the strategic priorities of NFA, we conducted a desk research of the laws and situation of statelessness in the region. The main purpose of the mapping exercise was to identify countries of focus and potential partners for NFA. After the completion of the mapping process, we conducted consultations with some stakeholders. Most stakeholders expressed the need for additional research on statelessness. They shared that a database on the status of statelessness in the region similar to the Statelessness Index in Europe would be helpful to their national advocacy. Consequently, we decided to transform the mapping report into this comprehensive report. Rationale Across the statelessness sector the issue of the lack of accurate statistics and information is prominent. In numerous consultations and meetings held by NFA between 2020–22, the issue of a lack of data was raised by both NGOs and UN bodies as a key concern. UNHCR has recognized this issue noting that their own estimate of 4.3 million stateless people globally is likely far below the true figure. The global figure remains an under count as data on stateless populations or those of Persons of Undetermined Nationality is missing or incomplete for many countries, including some with known stateless populations. Even though quantitative data should not be the basis to measure the scale of the statelessness problem, it can support the national advocacy campaigns Methodology and Timeline to build political will in democratic countries. This lack of reliable quantitative data continues to pose challenges to effectively addressing statelessness and advocating for solutions. This report aims to build knowledge and shed light on the Asia-Pacific which despite underreporting, reports the highest number of stateless people in the world. This report also acknowledges the existing initiatives to end statelessness and how heavily under-resourced they are. Through this report we hope to generate more attention and resources for such initiatives. Assumptions While reporting 4.3 million stateless people globally, UNHCR has recognized that this number is far below the true scale of statelessness noting that: "Yet, the global figure remains an undercount as data on stateless populations or those of Persons of Undetermined Nationality is missing or incomplete for many countries, including some with known stateless populations. The lack of reliable quantitative data continues to pose challenges to effectively address statelessness and advocate for solutions."1 The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) estimates that there is at least 15 million stateless people globally.2 From our discussions and consultations, some of the key causes of this lack of statistical reporting on statelessness seem to be government hesitance and inaction to recognize stateless communities as well as practical difficulties of access and engaging with stateless communities. This means that gathering a clear picture of how many people are affected by statelessness and where they are located is in itself a very difficult process. The research that underpins SEAP was commenced in late 2020. Through this original internal regional mapping project, we aimed to:  Provide an overview of the statelessness situation in the Asia Pacific region.  Gain a broad understanding of the legal and administrative frameworks as they apply to citizenship regimes of all countries across the Asia-Pacific region, and to begin to see the disjunct between these regimes on paper and in practice.  Generate more attention to the statelessness problem in the region.  Strengthen relationships with, and gather a database of key stakeholders at national, regional and international levels, building on the network members of SNAP but ensuring that we expanded beyond our members to include new organizations, especially those that were previously overlooked.  Identify good practices from which we could learn, and the needs of organizations and the gaps in the current work being undertaken.  Identify specific countries and contexts where NFA could focus on considering the scale of the problem in the region and the limited capacity of NFA.  Identify areas of collaboration among stakeholders and areas of further research on the issue. Both qualitative and quantitative data was gathered through a combination of desk research, consultations and bilateral meetings. Desk Research Commenced in December 2020, desk research was undertaken drawing on pre-existing research, reports and national mapping projects with the aim to review and summarize national and regional situations of statelessness. This included mapping relevant communities and stakeholders, and conducting a broad analysis of legal and administrative frameworks. Through the desk research, NFA developed sub-regional reports that form the basis for SEAP. Survey and Consultations In November 2020, NFA launched a survey on ‘Advancing Rights and Protections for Stateless Populations, Refugees, and Communities with Precarious Legal Status’ drafted in collaboration with Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) and Refugee Solidarity Network (RSN). The survey aimed to gather information and connect to stakeholders across the region. We received 47 unique responses to the survey from respondents working across 14 different countries or regions being: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, International, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and Thailand. Following the survey, NFA coordinated four separate consultations in collaboration with OSJI and RSN. While each consultation had a specific thematic focus, all were part of a broader examination of good practice in the region within the framework of “Advancing Rights and Protections for Stateless Populations, Refugees, and Communities with Precarious Legal Status”. Bilateral Meetings and Partnership Building Process Throughout 2021, NFA conducted bilateral consultations with potential partner organizations, who were identified through the regional consultation series, former SNAP members or recommended by current contacts. NFA met with over 30 potential partners based in a number of countries across the Asia-Pacific region including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand. From the data gathered through this process, in the second half of 2021, sub-regional on the 6 7 STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC REPORT 2023