2. The Sustainable Development Goals and solutions to statelessness
under international human rights law. While these rights are not
limited to individuals who have been recognised as stateless following
determination by a State, in practical terms it is only once a person
has been formally identified as stateless, usually through a dedicated
determination procedure, that they will be able to access relevant
rights.58 As such, formal recognition of statelessness status may
provide certain stateless persons with a critical form of legal identity.59
The above analysis of the SDGs that are most relevant to addressing
statelessness also helps to illuminate the points of connection
between the 2030 Agenda, UNHCR’s statelessness mandate and the
Campaign to End Statelessness in 10 Years. UNHCR’s work in the field
of statelessness is mandated by UN General Assembly resolutions and
through the recommendations of the organisation’s own governing
body, the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme
(UNHCR ExCom). UNHCR’s duties towards non-refugee stateless
persons commenced following the entry into force of the 1961
Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (1961 Convention).60
General Assembly resolutions 3274 (XXIV) and 31/36 designated
UNHCR as the body mandated to examine the cases of persons who
claim the benefit of the 1961 Convention and to assist such persons
in presenting their claims to the appropriate national authorities.
UNHCR’s mandate was expanded significantly during the 1990s as a
result of a series of resolutions of the UN General Assembly.61
In 2004, concerned about the unacceptably high number of stateless
persons whose cases had been languishing unresolved for many years,
UNHCR ExCom called upon UNHCR to play a more active role in working
with the relevant States to find solutions to those situations. In 2006,
the UN General Assembly endorsed62 UNHCR ExCom Conclusion 106
58
59
60
61
62
See, UNHCR, Handbook, supra n55, paras. 144-152 and UNHCR, Good Practices
Paper – Action 6: Establishing Statelessness Determination Procedures to
Protect Stateless Persons, 2016.
See, Govil, supra n35.
Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, 30 August 1961, entry into force
13 December 1975, 989 UNTS 175.
See, M. Manly, “UNHCR’s mandate and activities to address statelessness”,
in A. Edwards and L. van Waas (eds), Nationality and Statelessness Under
International Law, Cambridge University Press 2014.
UNGA, Resolution A/RES/61/137, Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, 19 December 2000.
60