Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion Statelessness Network Asia Pacific Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at the 30th Session of the Universal Periodic Review Bangladesh Introduction 1. The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) and the Statelessness Network Asia Pacific (SNAP) make this joint submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in relation to statelessness, access to nationality and human rights in Bangladesh. 2. ISI is an independent non-profit organisation committed to an integrated, human rights based response to the injustice of statelessness and exclusion through a combination of research, education, partnerships and advocacy. Established in August 2014, it is the first and only global centre committed to promoting the human rights of stateless persons and ending statelessness. Over the past two years, the Institute has made over 20 country specific UPR submissions on the human rights of stateless persons, and also compiled summaries of the key human rights challenges related to statelessness in all countries under review under the 23rd to the 28th UPR Sessions.1 3. SNAP2 is a recently formed civil society network with the goal of promoting collaboration and information sharing on addressing statelessness in Asia and the Pacific. SNAP is driven by a diverse membership and through direct engagement and contribution from its members and stakeholders, particularly formerly stateless persons, stateless persons and persons at risk of statelessness. 4. This joint submission draws on the combined expertise of ISI and SNAP, as well as their partner organisations in Bangladesh. The submission includes: I. II. III. IV. An overview of the human rights and protection challenges faced by the stateless Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh; An overview of discrimination against and the human rights issues faced by the formerly stateless Urdu speaking minority group; An analysis and critique of the draft Bangladesh Citizenship Bill; and Joint recommendations by the co-submitting organisations. The Universal Periodic Review of Bangladesh under the Second Cycle (2013) 5. Bangladesh was subject to the UPR for a second time in 2013 during the Sixteenth Session of the Second Cycle. During this review, Bangladesh received many recommendations related to the themes of the right to nationality and statelessness and in particular, the protection of stateless Rohingya refugees: 1 For more information on the Institute’s UPR advocacy, see http://www.statelessnessandhumanrights.org/upr-universal-periodicreview/resources-database. 2 For more information about the Statelessness Network Asia Pacific, please see the website https://www.statelessnessnetworkasiapacific.org/ 1