Table of Contents
Introduction.....................................................................................................................i
PART I:
HISTORICAL SURVEY OF INTERNATIONAL ACTION
ON DE FACTO STATELESSNESS
1. International action on statelessness prior to the adoption of the 1954 Convention
relating to the Status of Stateless Persons......................................................................1
1.1
Memorandum on Statelessness by the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees
2
1.2
1949 Study of Statelessness by the UN Secretary-General ...........................5
1.3
Ad Hoc Committee on Statelessness and Related Problems .........................8
1.4
The 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees 9
1.5
Work of the International Law Commission on the topic of nationality, including
statelessness .............................................................................................................11
2. The 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons........................15
3. The 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness ....................................22
4. Conclusions of Part I............................................................................................26
PART II:
SHIFTING PARADIGM OF DE FACTO STATELESSNESS
5.
6.
7.
Expanding the boundaries of “de facto statelessness”.........................................27
Persons who do not enjoy the rights attached to their nationality .......................32
Persons unable to establish their nationality or of undetermined nationality ......40
7.1
Persons who may have difficulties proving their nationality.......................41
7.2
Determination of nationality ........................................................................46
7.3
Questions of statelessness ............................................................................52
8. Persons who, in the context of State succession, are attributed the nationality of a State
other than the State of their habitual residence............................................................53
9. Conclusions of Part II ..........................................................................................60
PART III:
CONCLUSIONS
10. The definition of de facto statelessness ...............................................................61
11. Interpretation of the definition of de facto statelessness......................................61
11.1 Outside the country of nationality................................................................61
11.2 Protection of the country of nationality .......................................................61
11.3 Valid reasons for being unwilling to avail oneself of protection.................62
11.4 Inability to avail oneself of protection .........................................................64
11.5 Undocumented migrants ..............................................................................65
12. UNHCR’s mandate for de facto statelessness .....................................................65