    an Ad Hoc Committee on Statelessness and Related Problems to ‘consider the desirability of preparing a revised and consolidated convention relating to the international status of refugees and stateless persons’ and to ‘consider means of eliminating the problem of statelessness’.43 The outcome of this work was the formulation and adoption in force of three overlapping treaties: first, the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees (which protects stateless refugees as well as those with a nationality) (‘Refugee Convention’); secondly, the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons (which protects de jure stateless persons) (“1954 Stateless Convention”); and thirdly, the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (“1961 Stateless Convention”).44 There are several reasons why commitment to the issue of statelessness and ratification of the two core statelessness treaties has been markedly inferior to refugee protection, and these include the initial (erroneous) assumption that refugees are most in need of protection, the subsequent separation of statelessness from refugee protection, and the lack of UN oversight embedded in the stateless regime (as opposed to the refugee regime). The vesting of a specific mandate in relation to statelessness in the UNHCR in the mid-1990s45 and its subsequent campaign to end statelessness by 2024 have raised the profile of the phenomenon of statelessness globally, leading to increased activity and commitment to addressing it. However, state ratification of the core treaties remains low. For example, the 1954 Convention currently has ninety-eight state parties,46 while the 1961 Convention has even fewer ratifications with eighty state parties.47 While these ratification numbers are significantly higher due to the positive impact of the #IBelong campaign launched by ECOSOC, ‘Study of Statelessness: Resolution of 8 August 1949’ Res 1949/248(IX) B (8 August 1949). 44 For a thorough history, see Michelle Foster and Hélène Lambert, International Refugee Law and the Protection of Stateless Persons (Oxford University Press 2019), ch 2. 45 Matthew Seet, ‘The Origins of UNHCR’s Global Mandate on Statelessness’ (2016) 28(1) International Journal of Refugee Law 7, 8. 46 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (adopted 28 September 1954, entered into force 6 June 1960) 360 UNTS 117, <https://treaties.un.org/pages/ ViewDetailsII.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=V-3&chapter=5&Temp=mtdsg2&clang=_ en> accessed 1 April 2024. 47 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (adopted 30 August 1961, entered into force 13 December 1975) 989 UNTS 175, <https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails .aspx?src=IND&mtdsg_no=V-4&chapter=5&clang=_en>, accessed 1 April 2024. 43 https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009399555.003 Published online by Cambridge University Press