EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In its preamble to the Constitution, Lebanon noted its commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stipulates that all persons are free and equal regardless of gender, colour, belief, religion or other characteristics. The Declaration provided for 30 human rights, including the right to non-discrimination, the right to nationality, the right to freedom of expression, the right to education, the right to seek asylum, and additional civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. All these rights have equal status and are indivisible — no right is more important than another — and the denial of one right may frequently impede the enjoyment of other rights.1 Lebanon has also committed itself in the preamble of its Constitution to the principles and charters of the United Nations that the State embodies in all areas. In its Decision 1 of 12 September 1997, the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Council established that the principles set forth in the preamble to the Constitution have constitutional power, as are the provisions of the Constitution itself. The preamble of the Constitution is an integral part of it.2 including (1) amending the Nationality Law to give Lebanese women equal rights to pass on their nationality to their children and (2) amending the provisions of the law related to nonregistered persons including waiving fees for DNA testing and ensuring swift judicial proceedings.7 The Lebanese Constitution stipulates that Lebanese nationality, the manner in which it is acquired, retained, and lost shall be determined in accordance with the law3 and that all Lebanese shall be equal before the law. They shall equally enjoy civil and political rights and shall equally be bound by public obligations and duties without any distinction.4 However, the Constitution does not contain any text that defines discrimination as stipulated under international conventions and prohibits it based on them, on the one hand. On the other hand, although it provided for equal citizenship rights before the law, it did not stipulate their equality before the law, primarily because religious courts deal with all matters related to personal status, and each court refers to its own laws, resulting in contradiction with constitutional provisions and the perpetuation of discrimination and inequality in national legislations.5 • Mothers of Lebanese origin and mothers who have acquired Lebanese nationality and outlive their husbands can pass on their nationality to their minor children. • Women of Lebanese origin and foreign women married to foreigners who have acquired Lebanese citizen, as well as the children of adult age of such a foreigner, may upon their request, obtain Lebanese nationality without satisfying conditions for residency, whether by virtue of the regulation giving nationality to the husband, the father or the mother or through a special regulation. On 12 September 2019 the Lebanese Government adopted its first National Action Plan (NAP) to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which was developed under the leadership of the National Commission for Lebanese Women on behalf of the Government. This plan provides a comprehensive national framework for Lebanon’s long-term stability and security and is essential to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.6 The NAP includes five strategic priorities: • Women’s participation in decision-making at all levels (security and defence, politics and public affairs, and economic life). • Prevention of Conflict. • Prevention of and protection of women/girls from genderbased violence. • Relief and recovery. • Legislative framework. The interventions mentioned in the NAP’s section on legislative frameworks include the adoption and amendment of laws, 4 The legal reality differs from that of the above as the Lebanese Nationality Law No. 15 of 19 January 1925 contains clear discrimination between Lebanese men and Lebanese women in conferring their nationality to foreign spouses and children. A man grants his Lebanese nationality to his foreign wife and children without any restrictions. However, a Lebanese woman cannot pass on her Lebanese nationality to her foreign spouse or children unless her children are illegitimate. The Lebanese nationality law also makes a clear discrimination between: With regard to the rulings issued by the Lebanese courts of various degrees, there appears to be an apparent contradiction in the interpretation and application of particular articles of the Lebanese Nationality law, particularly those relating to Lebanese women passing on their nationality to their children, and this study will address these provisions in detail. Most of the research and studies on obstacles of a Lebanese woman passing on her nationality to her children are based on political constraints and do not discuss the social, economic and educational implications of this discrimination. Moreover, most of these studies address the right of a Lebanese woman to pass on her nationality to her child if he or she is illegitimate, without further elaborating and discussing Article 4 of Law No. 15 of 1925, which deals with the right of women who have acquired Lebanese nationality, and their distinction and preference over women of Lebanese origin. Despite campaigns led by civil society organizations to enact a law stipulating that Lebanese women pass on their nationality to their children, through equal rights, and amending laws to comply with international conventions and to ensure gender equality in and before the law, Lebanese legislators continue to enact new discriminatory laws against women. As an example, on 12 November 2015, Parliament