8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DIVERSE ORIGINS • The origins of statelessness run along the rich migratory history of Lebanon, ever since its emergence in 1920. The country has constantly been a destination for migrants and refugees from various backgrounds. Beirut and its metropolitan area became the main recipient due to its relative liberalism and the abundance of opportunities that it could offer. Many of the areas they settled in have ultimately converged into statelessness hotspots, given the administrative and political flaws and loopholes that have recurrently barred these communities from accessing citizenship. • The background of stateless communities is extremely diverse. Among the stateless in Lebanon are Kurds, Syriacs and Assyrians, whom had sought refuge in Beirut, persons of nomadic origins (mainly Dom) representing more than half of stateless individuals in Greater Beirut, in addition to Bedouins in coastal Chouf and Dom in Iqlim el Kharroub. Armenian and Christians communities, as well as Christian and Shi’a Palestinians from the “7 villages” were also granted Lebanese citizenship at different points in time. CAUSES & CONSEQUENCES • Nonregistration by parents remains the primary cause of statelessness. In this respect, 34% of the adult respondent stateless persons in Greater Beirut, and 47% in Mount Lebanon, did not have their births registered by their parents. • Stateless respondents who inherited their status from their stateless fathers account for 29% of cases in Greater Beirut, and 24% in Mount Lebanon. • Under-study cases meanwhile account for 33% of those in Greater Beirut, and 26% in Mount Lebanon. • Stateless communities face great difficulty obtaining formal documents that enable them to enjoy basic political and civic rights, access education or healthcare, or enjoy legal protection in regards to housing and ownership. The effects on livelihoods are severe, a situation which is today exacerbated by the acuteness of the financial and socioeconomic crisis the country has plunged into in recent years. • Stateless persons resort to coping mechanisms and informal workarounds to ease their daily ordeals, ensure freedom of movement or access property. As such, a significant proportion of stateless individuals in these two areas are holders of a laissez-passer, as a result of the greater proximity of these communities to the public administrations of the political center. © 2023 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.