to those who remain or become stateless. Parliamentarians can also play an important “watchdog” role by helping to ensure that the policies of a State do not inadvertently or deliberately render individuals stateless, by encouraging their governments to resolve the cases of individuals who are stateless, and by raising awareness about the problems associated with statelessness among their constituents. This handbook presents related issues, provides possible solutions, and suggests actions that members of parliament can take without losing sight of the human dimension of statelessness. We hope that it will serve as a useful tool for parliamentarians in taking all necessary steps to reduce and ultimately eliminate this phenomenon, which adversely affects the lives of millions of men, women and children around the world. António Guterres United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 4 Anders B. Johnsson Secretary General Inter-Parliamentary Union