1. MAKING EFFECTIVE USE OF UN HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS TO SOLVE STATELESSNESS Procedures, treaty bodies, and the UPR have already approached questions of statelessness and nationality in a variety of ways which open possibilities for future engagement. The survey of practice in this chapter illustrates that there is considerable scope for more coordinated work. In all the mechanisms reviewed, there have been inconsistencies in the level of attention paid to statelessness and missed opportunities. For instance, as of 2016 there are only 27 States in the world which maintain nationality laws that do not permit mothers to confer nationality on their children on an equal basis with fathers, and yet neither the UPR nor the treaty bodies have addressed relevant recommendations to all of those reviewed. The responsibility for improving the consistency of recommendations falls primarily on those making recommendations: States in the UPR, the Special Procedures mandate holders, and the members of the treaty bodies. However other actors, including UNHCR and civil society, also have a role to play in ensuring that these bodies receive clear, consistent and high quality information.101 While there is ample room for more engagement by existing Special Procedures, the creation of a Special Procedure on the right to nationality deserves consideration, as it would enhance the UN system’s dedicated attention to statelessness issues.102 There is always reluctance to add new mandates, as these require additional resources and take up time on the Human Rights Council’s already crowded agenda. The time may nonetheless be ripe to think about a new mandate holder as a longer-term advocacy goal. Short of a dedicated mandate holder, there are many things the “Friends of the Campaign to End Statelessness”, can help to achieve in concert with UNHCR, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and interested NGOs. Notable goals might include: • Ensuring biennial continuity of a dedicated resolution on the right to nationality; 101 102 Submissions by these other stakeholders are a key source of information for all of the human rights mechanisms discussed in this chapter. A mandate holder would carry out individual country visits, provide detailed reports and recommendations, and provide opportunities for follow up by the Human Rights Council. A mandate holder could also receive individual communications. 44