Imagine being told you don’t belong because of the language you speak, the faith you follow, the customs you practice or the colour of your skin. This is the stark reality for many of the world’s stateless. Discrimination, which can be the root cause of their lack of nationality, also pervades their everyday lives – often with crippling effects. If we want to end statelessness, we must address this discrimination. We must insist on equal nationality rights for all. Filippo Grandi U NITED NATION S HIGH COMMI SSIONER FOR REF U GEES words that most commonly describe the existence of the world’s stateless minorities. More than 75% of the world’s known stateless populations belong to minority groups.(1) These populations include the descendants of migrants, many of whom arrived or who were displaced to a territory before it gained independence; nomadic populations with links to two or more countries; and groups that have experienced ongoing discrimination despite having lived for generations in the place that they consider to be home. Discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion or language is a recurrent cause of statelessness globally. In some cases discrimination against minorities is prescribed by law: at least 20 countries maintain nationality laws in which nationality can be denied or taken away in a discriminatory manner.(2) Instances of mass deprivation of nationality on grounds of ethnicity or race have continued to occur in recent decades. More frequently, discrimination is based on formal or (1) This percentage is based on statistics for stateless populations included in UNHCR’s 2016 Global Trends Report that are known to belong to an ethnic, religious or linguistic minority. It does not account for minority groups that compose a proportion of a known stateless population in a country, but do not form the majority of that population. The percentage also does not include the many stateless minority groups for which UNHCR does not have adequate statistical data. (2) See Action 4 of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Global Action Plan to End Statelessness, 4 November 2014, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/545b47d64.html informal policies and practices that affect certain groups disproportionately. Statelessness can exacerbate the exclusion that minorities already face, further limiting their access to education, health care, legal employment, freedom of movement, development opportunities and the right to vote. It creates a chasm between affected groups and the wider community, deepening their sense of being outsiders: of never belonging. Left unaddressed, the protracted exclusion of stateless minorities can build resentment, fear and - in the most extreme cases - lead to persecution, displacement, instability and insecurity. th e #i b e lo n g c a m pa i g n d e s i g n d e v e lo pe d i n co o pe r ati o n w ith u n ite d co lo u rs o f b e n et to n Discrimination. Exclusion. Persecution. These are the In May and June 2017, UNHCR spoke with more than 120 individuals who belong to stateless, formerly stateless and at-risk minority groups in three countries: the Karana of Madagascar, Roma and other ethnic minorities in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and the Pemba and Makonde of Kenya. Drawing on individual testimonies collected during these consultations, this report explains the circumstances that have led to them not being recognized as nationals of any country. It shows how statelessness can be passed on from one generation to the next, with children denied nationality on the basis of their parents’ national or ethnic origins. It highlights the daily indignities and suffering of individuals who are excluded because of characteristics that are inherent to their identities – their histories, their looks, their language, their faith. The findings in this report underscore the critical need for minorities to enjoy the right to nationality. 2017 UNHCR STATELESSNESS REPORT • 1