implementing statelessness determination procedures, as a useful tool for states, and how to uphold procedural guarantees in such processes. 8. The session was opened with the testimony of an invited speaker who shared his personal experience as a stateless individual. In his powerful statement, he explained how the lack of easily accessible information about statelessness, difficulties in accessing legal aid, and lengthy procedures to determine statelessness and enable access to nationality impacted not only on the exercise of his rights, but also on his wellbeing and life opportunities. I. Establishing and implementing statelessness determination procedures and procedural guarantees, including access to legal aid and assessment of evidence “I am still a human being with the same emotions and feelings as everyone else. The stateless recognition process is complex, in reality there is no easy route about being recognized stateless and regularising your stay. ” (Raymond Santamaria)8 9. A stateless determination procedure is a mechanism for determining whether an individual is statelessness. In the last decades, an increasing number of states have put in place a formal statelessness determination procedure within their legal system, although there is no standardised procedure as such regarding the manner in which they determine statelessness. To date, only a few Council of Europe member states appear to have adopted such procedures 9. 10. One of the primary concerns that emerged during the discussions was the lack of information available for individuals on statelessness and available procedures at domestic level. Experts and stateless individuals underlined the need to raise awareness on how to access these procedures in a language and format which the applicant understands (if necessary, via translation and/or by interpreters). It was noted that in some countries, applicants were not able to initiate procedures themselves. 11. The testimonies of stateless individuals in the meeting highlighted that procedural improvements remained necessary, even in countries where there was a statelessness determination procedure in place. 12. Access to legal aid was emphasised during the discussion as a key element in the stateless determination. It was noted that in most countries, access to legal aid was provided for asylum seekers or other international protection applications, but it was not automatically available to stateless persons. 13. Experts stressed the legal complexity of statelessness cases and the need for applicants to receive experienced legal assistance from lawyers specialised in the field of See also “I am Human” , poem from Raymond Santamaria and his testimony. Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Republic of Moldova, Spain, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. 8 9 9