On 15 November, in Albania, UNHCR and the Tirana
Legal Aid Society, in partnership with the General
Directorate of Civil Status of the Ministry of the
Interior, hosted the National conference on Albania’s
progress to end statelessness. The conference
highlighted Albania’s progress in addressing
statelessness through legal reforms, identification
efforts by INSTAT, free legal aid clinics, and civil
society support. The conference concluded with
a renewed commitment to ensuring access to
nationality as a fundamental human right.
Neighbors Among Us. The half-day event marked
the conclusion of the UNHCR’s 10-year #IBelong
campaign and introduced the new Global Alliance
to End Statelessness. The seminar gathered 36
participants, including representatives from the
Office of the Ombudsman, NGOs, academia,
the judiciary, the Ministry of Justice, attorneys, a
European Commission representative in Czechia,
and law students. It provided a platform for
practitioners and academics to discuss statelessness
protection in Czechia.
On 29 November, in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
the Institution of Human Rights Ombudsmen, in
cooperation with UNHCR and Vaša Prava BiH,
organized an event in Sarajevo to mark the end of
the #IBelong Campaign and discuss the remaining
challenges in preventing statelessness. Held at the
BiH Parliament, the event included a presentation
of a Special report on the prevention of the risk of
statelessness in BiH, prepared by the Ombudsman
with UNHCR’s support. Over 60 government
representatives at the state, entity, cantonal, and
municipal levels attended. The report outlined 14
recommendations for institutional improvements
to prevent statelessness, including the sustainable
provision of free government legal aid. Authorities
are expected to provide feedback on these
recommendations in early 2025. On the same day,
UNHCR, the Ombudsmen, and Vaša Prava BiH
hosted a roundtable on ending statelessness in BiH,
reviewing progress under the #IBelong Campaign,
promoting the Global Alliance to End Statelessness,
and discussing future activities to mitigate
statelessness risks.
In October, in Hungary, UNHCR and the National
Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP)
co-organized the Annual statelessness professional
day for NDGAP officials involved in Hungary’s
statelessness determination procedure. The
event focused on procedural safeguards, such as
information provision, language use, and inquiries
from foreign authorities. It also raised awareness
about the end of the #IBelong Campaign and the
launch of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness.
The event, attended by 24 participants, was wellreceived. Also, in partnership with the Verzio
International human rights documentary film festival,
UNHCR hosted an event on statelessness as part
of the #IBelong Campaign. The event featured
a panel discussion, followed by a screening of
Wandering, a Rohingya Story and a Q&A session.
The event, attended by over 170 participants,
included donors, diplomats, and Hungarian
government representatives. UNHCR’s Assistant
High Commissioner for Protection, Ruvendrini
Menikdiwela, delivered remarks emphasizing the
importance of addressing statelessness.
In Croatia, on 11 November, UNHCR and its
partner CRP Sisak reactivated the coordination
for statelessness in Croatia, bringing together
government representatives, civil society actors,
legal professionals, and ombuds institutions. The
group committed to “promoting the resolution of
statelessness in Croatia through regular stakeholder
exchanges focused on identification, prevention,
reduction, and protection of stateless persons and
those at risk.” The next meeting is scheduled for
spring 2025.
In December, in France, UNHCR, OFPRA (the French
Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless
Persons), and Forum réfugiés co-organized a
roundtable in Paris to mark the 70th anniversary of
the 1954 Statelessness Convention. The roundtable
brought together experts and advocates, with
statelessness advocate Maha Mamo sharing her
powerful story. UNHCR presented the outcomes of
the #IBelong Campaign and introduced the Global
Alliance to End Statelessness.
In November, in the Czech Republic, UNHCR and
the Centre for Migration and Refugee Law at Charles
University in Prague co-hosted a legal seminar on
statelessness, titled Stateless Persons: Invisible
In November, in Montenegro, UNHCR, in
cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and the
support of UN Montenegro, organized a conference
in Podgorica marking the end of the #IBelong
Campaign and the launch of the Global Alliance to
UNHCR > The Campaign to End Statelessness | October – December 2024 Update
8