2 1 A CATALYST FOR ACTION: WORKING TO ADDRESS STATELESSNESS IN EUROPE ANNUAL REPORT 2017 1 3 UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING STATELESSNESS I believe that work carried out by UNHCR and civil society organisations, in particular the European Network on Statelessness since 2013, created real momentum for those advocating for the rights of stateless persons. Statelessness is a legal anomaly affecting more than half a million people in Europe – not only recent migrants and refugees, but also people whose families have lived in the same place for generations. Many stateless people find themselves stranded on the margins of society, at risk of discrimination and human rights abuses. For many, this translates into denial of the basic rights we take for granted: to go to school or work, to get married or register the birth of your child, to ’legally exist’. All European states have obligations in international law to protect stateless people and prevent statelessness, but in many cases, these have not been translated into effective laws at the national level. While statelessness occurs for a variety of reasons – discrimination against minority groups, issues regarding state succession, conflicts of laws between states, or even deliberate policies by states to deny or strip people of nationality – it is essential that Europe recognises and addresses this issue if it is to uphold its traditions of freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. WE WORK TO END STATELESSNESS IN EUROPE – OUR THEORY OF CHANGE STRATEGIES DIRECT OUTPUTS DESIRED OUTCOMES DESIRED IMPACTS •• Capacity building •• Awareness raising •• Law & policy development •• •• •• •• •• •• •• Producing new research into causes and effects of statelessness Monitoring policy and providing legal analysis on nationality law Coordinating campaigns to raise awareness and coordinate action Generating media coverage by working with key news outlets Providing training for NGOs, lawyers and decision makers Developing national-level advocacy to advance protection Delivering a litigation strategy targeting non-compliance with international obligations •• •• •• •• •• •• •• States and regional bodies commit and work to eradicate statelessness Improvement in policy and national laws on statelessness All states have a working statelessness determination procedure Stateless people are empowered and heard More stateless people receive protection A growing community is aware and concerned about statelessness Lawyers and NGOs are trained, use protection mechanisms and hold governments to account •• •• •• •• •• Statelessness is widely understood as a human rights violation Stateless people are empowered and have equal access to rights States have safeguards to prevent new cases of statelessness States have effective procedures to identify and protect stateless people European States commit to work towards global eradication of statelessness NILS MUIŽNIEKS, COUNCIL OF EUROPE COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE WORK Statelessness is a major human rights problem in Europe, yet for far too long it was ignored, with relatively little known about its causes, consequences and who it affects. The European Network on Statelessness (ENS) is a network of non-governmental organisations, academic initiatives, and individual experts committed to addressing statelessness in Europe. Everyone has the right to a nationality. We believe this must be respected and that those who lack nationality – stateless people – are entitled to full protection. ENS is dedicated to working with stateless people in Europe to advocate for respect of their human rights. ENS was founded to act as a coordinating body and expert resource for organisations working to end statelessness in Europe. At the heart of our strategy has been an understanding of the need to mainstream and raise awareness about statelessness and nationality issues, to build the capacity of civil society to take action, and to act as an effective catalyst for change. During 2017 we have expanded our Secretariat and grown our membership by over 20 per cent. We continue to CAPACITY BUILDING AWARENESS-RAISING Although numerous organisations have a mandate to address statelessness, few possess the specialist knowledge to tackle the root causes. We provide training and a forum for the exchange of information and good practice. Our specialist pool of trainers and experts implements our Europe Wide Training Programme to build capacity among civil society partners, policy makers and other key stakeholders. Statelessness remains relatively poorly understood. We aim to raise awareness and give a human face to the issue. Our weekly blog and quarterly newsletter provide opinion and analysis of developments to a readership of thousands. Our research and policy work generate widespread media coverage and we run targeted campaigns to support our advocacy. work hard to further increase the profile and impact of our work, and to translate this into protection for men, women and children affected by statelessness. Our thematic priorities include children – ending childhood statelessness, access to justice – protecting stateless people from arbitrary detention, forced migration – adopting comprehensive systems that protect and regularise stateless refugees and migrants and antidiscrimination – preventing statelessness among minority populations. LAW & POLICY DEVELOPMENT Our goal is to ensure full respect for the rights of stateless people through evidence-based advocacy. We commission and publish research so the issue is fully understood and effective policy solutions implemented. Additionally, our litigation working group seeks to bring about change through the targeted use of strategic litigation.