Our members

Katia Bianchini is a researcher at Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle, Germany, where she is conducting research on refugee law and statelessness. She holds a law degree from the University of Pavia (Italy), an LL.M. in Comparative Laws from the University of San Diego (California, USA), and a Ph.D. in Law from the University of York (UK). Her doctoral thesis provided an empirical and legal analysis of how the 1954 UN Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons is implemented in ten EU states. She has also worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity (Göttingen). Before engaging in research, she practised immigration and refugee law for ten years in the UK and the USA for about 10 years.

Katja Swider is a PhD researcher at the University of Amsterdam, writing about the contemporary challenges of statelessness determination in Europe. She has an LLM degree in European Law from Leiden University and an LLM in Legal Research from University of Utrecht. In addition to her academic work, Katja cooperates closely with non-academic actors to address statelessness in the Netherlands. She organizes workshops, presents her findings to policy makers, and provides expert knowledge to legal practitioners. Her most recent project is on the potential role of the EU in shaping national statelessness determination procedures.

Keelin McCarthy is a UK barrister practising in all areas of asylum, immigration, nationality and human rights law, as well as related public and civil law. She has been instructed in cases addressing persecutory deprivation of nationality and statelessness. Before becoming a barrister Keelin worked in the international development sector, gaining particular experience of human rights issues in the Commonwealth and East Asia region.

Kelly Staples is Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Leicester. She was awarded her PhD by the University of Manchester in 2008 for a thesis addressing the relationship between statelessness, international relations and political theory. She is the author of Retheorising Statelessness: a background theory of membership in world politics, published by Edinburgh University Press in 2012, as well as articles on statelessness and political theory in Philosophy and Social Criticism and Res Publica.

We are the church in action: a worldwide community of people who believe. Who believe in God and in each other. A real church is an active church. We are the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in action: two million members (of 17 million habitants), over 1600 local congregations are active on behalf of their fellow men and women, near and far. No one is excluded. All are welcome. We are touched and inspired by Jesus Christ and the Bible’s call to take care of widows and orphans, prisoners and refugees. It is our calling to share what we have received.

Kırkayak Kültür, since its establishment in 2011, organizes social, cultural and art activities to help empower socially and culturally disadvantaged groups at risk, and to integrate society in dialogue and solidarity to end prejudices and discrimination against these groups. Besides, Kırkayak Kültür carries out social, cultural and art activities; studies on humanitarian issues caused by political and social circumstances in the Middle East in addition to existing issues as immigration, being a refugee, disadvantaged groups and cultures, also findings are presented to people nationwide and worldwide.

Kırkayak Kültür currently hosts its studies in two separate locations in Gaziantep: “Kırkayak Kültür Art Center" and "Kırkayak Kültür - Center for Migration and Cultural Studies".

Konstantinos Tsitselikis is Associate professor at the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia (Thessaloniki, Greece), lecturing human and minority rights and international law. He has worked for the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the UN, the EU in human rights and democratisation field missions. In the past years he has conducted research on minority foundations of the Greek Orthodox minority in Turkey and the Muslim minority in Greece [W. Thrace and the Dodecanese islands].

The Kuwaiti Community Association (KCA) is a voluntary organisation founded in 2001 to represent, support and meet the specific needs of the Kuwaiti Bidoon Community in Harrow (London) and the surrounding area. KCA is a small but impactful non-profit whose staff mostly consists of volunteers and members of the local Kuwaiti community. KCA's work focuses on securing the rights of the Kuwaiti stateless (Bidoon) community in the UK and elsewhere. We have previously helped to provide research for organisations such as Asylum Aid and UNHCR, in some instances influencing national policy concerning the issue of stateless communities. On a local level, we are based in Harrow, London, where our office is frequented by Kuwaitis and Kuwaiti Bidoon who are struggling to assimilate and in need of legal or personal help. WIth over fifteen years experience in providing this help, we have built up strong personal relationships with many of our clients, based on trust and mutual respect.

The Latvian Centre for Human Rights (LCHR) was established in 1993 with a view to promoting human rights and tolerance in Latvia through monitoring, research, advocacy, legal assistance and training activities. LCHR focuses on issues related to human rights in places of detention (prisons, police, immigration detention facilities), integration (minority rights and tolerance), non-discrimination, hate crimes and asylum/migration, LCHR provides legal advice to victims of human rights violations, including the representation of clients in court. LCHR frequently provides expert opinions both locally and internationally. Apart from collecting data, providing analysis and expertise, conducting research and publishing reports, the LCHR has been actively involved in advocacy for change, ranging from raising public awareness to specific policy or legislative changes. LCHR is the national focal point of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency’s FRANET network and member of the International Network against Cyber Hate.

Law Center of Advocates (LCA) is a public association founded in 1997. LCA’s mission is to implement projects and programs aimed at promoting the Rule of Law, judicial independence and respect for human rights in Moldova. It provides specialist legal training and other technical drafting functions. LCA offers legal assistance to all refugees, asylum seekers, beneficiaries of humanitarian protection and stateless persons. LCA is UNHCR’s legal implementing partner in Moldova.