Everything you need to know about statelessness

Council conclusions demonstrate the EU’s commitment to address statelessness

The year 2015 is coming to an end and yet, every 10 minutes a child is born without a nationality. The problem is considerable and the numbers speak…

It’s time to take action to protect stateless persons from arbitrary detention

The immigration detention of stateless persons is one of the silent tragedies of our globalised world that plays out behind closed doors, away from…

“What do you mean by stateless?” – Arbitrary detention of stateless persons in Poland

In Poland statelessness doesn’t exist. Or so it would seem, for there are almost no official records of stateless persons. Those who are stateless…

No nationality, no rights – Statelessness affecting Dominicans of Haitian descent

Two years ago the Dominican Constitutional Court judgement 168/13 deprived hundreds of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent of their…

Realising the right of every child to a nationality through the Convention on the Rights of the Child

When talking about how to end childhood statelessness in Europe, we often jump straight to the special standards that are contained in the 1961…

Using the UN Human Rights Special Procedures to address statelessness

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have not to date made as much use as they could of the United Nations (UN) Special Procedures to raise and…

'Transforming Our World’ - How can we make sure no one is left behind?

In September, the leaders of the United Nations Member States will meet to adopt the global agenda for development post-2015, the document…

Let’s talk about the army

How is the army relevant to statelessness? Conscription, a compulsory participation of citizens in their states’ military, still exists in over 60…

A Generation of Syrians Born in Exile Risk a Future of Statelessness

Doctor Nazir’s pregnant wife arrived in Turkey with a one-year old and no documentation. They had fled the unbearable bombardment of their home town…

The jus sanguinis bias of Europe and what it means for childhood statelessness

Who is more Dutch: a child born to Dutch nationals in Australia (child A), or a child born to Australian nationals in the Netherlands (child B)?…

Romania’s stateless children – still unknown, still invisible

When I started working on statelessness in 2009 I was told by more experienced colleagues from civil society organizations, as well as by public…

Fighting for children’s right to nationality in Europe

“When is it in the best interests of the child to be stateless? Never!” With these 14 words, Renate Winter, Member of the UN Committee on the Rights…