Association Des Femmes Juristes du Burundi, Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights and Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at the 29th Session of the Universal Periodic Review The Republic of Burundi Introduction 1. Association Des Femmes Juristes du Burundi (AFJB), The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights (GCENR) and the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (the Institute) make this joint submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in relation to women’s equal nationality rights and statelessness in the Republic of Burundi. 2. The Association Des Femmes Juristes du Burundi (AFJB) was created in 1995 on the initiative of a group of female lawyers. These women were strongly motivated to reverse a chaotic context marked by the weakening status of women and children, and the decline of their rights during and after the civil war. AFJB brings together 100 members from a variety of backgrounds (parliamentarians, corporate lawyers, state councilors, notaries, magistrates, lawyers, ministers, diplomats) who contribute effectively to the development of the law in general and to the promotion of Burundian women in particular. AFJB takes part in all major social debates and plays an active role in the transformations they imply, in particular with a view of combating any form of discrimination, any violation of the fundamental rights of women and children, and in the promotion of gender equality. 3. The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights (the Global Campaign) is a coalition of international and national organizations that promotes gender equality in nationality laws, so that women and men can confer, acquire, change and retain their nationality on an equal basis. The Campaign includes a Steering Committee of Equality Now, Equal Rights Trust, the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, UNHCR and Women’s Refugee Commission. The Campaign was launched in June 2014 at a Side Event at the 26th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and has conducted several international advocacy activities to encourage states which still maintain gender discriminatory nationality laws, to reform their laws and bring them into compliance with international human rights standards.1 4. The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion is an independent non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting an integrated, human rights based response to the injustice of statelessness and exclusion. 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 15 country specific UPR submissions on the human rights of stateless persons, and also compiled summaries of the key human 1 For more information see www.equalnationalityrights.org