PARTNERSHIPS: THE WAY FORWARD Further information can be obtained from UNHCR’s Division of International Protection in Geneva and via the organization’s global web site www.unhcr.org/statelessness 8 THE WORLD’S STATELESS PEOPLE • 2011 U N H C R / G . C O N STA N T I N E / C I V • 2 0 0 8 UNHCR’s mandate and universal awareness of the problems surrounding statelessness have grown in recent decades. A network of partnerships, ranging from grassroots local organizations to national and governmental agencies, regional organizations and UN and international groups has coalesced. Each brings its own work ethic, discipline and objectives. National civil societies, academic institutions, non-governmental agencies (NGOs), legal aid organizations, religious and legal associations, trade unions and others form the bedrock for action at the local level. International advocacy organizations such as Equal Rights Trust, the Open Society Justice Initiative, and Refugees International, research, analyze and develop recommendations. Regional organizations such as the African Union, the Organization of American States, the League of Arab States, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization are increasingly involved. UNHCR has forged closer ties with sister organizations such as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other international groups. Ultimately, states themselves will play the central role in resolving statelessness and their accession to the 1954 and 1961 Conventions and adherence to other legal instruments will be key to reducing and ultimately eliminating the trauma of millions of legal ghosts and non persons.