Dear friends and
colleagues,
It is not easy to imagine
what life would be like if you did not hold any nationality. In fact, it is not
easy to even imagine this even being possible. Everyone has a birthplace, a family, a home, a community:
surely everyone has a nationality? Sadly, no. Millions of people around the
world are stateless. They are perpetual foreigners, disenfranchised, not
recognised as or able to exercise the rights of citizens in any country. This
is a serious problem – for those affected, but also for those of us who do
enjoy a nationality and can make a difference, as people who care about and
want our children to grow up in a free, fair, safe and democratic world.
We welcome, admire and support the ambitious campaign launched today by
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to end statelessness
by 2024. Statelessness fundamentally and unequivocally deserves more attention
than it has received to date and the time has come for it to take its rightful
place amongst other pressing and worrying issues that are already vying for
international attention. We are not powerless in the face of
statelessness. Citizenship is our own modern-day creation and we set the
rules. Bad laws can be amended. Discriminatory policies can be repealed. We believe that with greater
awareness of the issue, stronger collaboration and a firm commitment to act,
statelessness can be solved. Indeed, we not only believe that statelessness can
be tackled, we believe that it must. Statelessness matters, to all of us, for
many reasons. Here are just some of them…
If people matter…
Stateless persons are
among the world’s most vulnerable. They are seen and treated as foreigners by
every country in the world, including the country in which they were born, the
country of their ancestors, the country of their residence, the country they
happen to find themselves in today and any country they may find themselves
expelled to tomorrow. Stateless persons face an extreme form of exclusion that
impacts their sense of dignity and identity, as well as their ability to do all
sorts of everyday things that most of us take for granted, like go to school,
get a job, be treated by a doctor, get married or travel. So, if people matter, statelessness matters.
If
children matter…
Many of the world’s stateless
persons are children. In fact, in every region of the world, children continue
to be born into statelessness and grow up never knowing the protection and recognition
that comes with a nationality. Some children inherit their statelessness from
stateless parents, creating an intergenerational problem. Others aren’t able to
acquire their parents’ or any other nationality due to discriminatory laws and
policies or the failure of governments to implement simple legal safeguards
that prevent childhood statelessness. Without a nationality, children can have
difficulty exercising their rights, become outcasts in their own country,
struggle to feel like they belong and grow up to be disenfranchised and excluded
adults. So, if children matter, statelessness matters.
If human rights matter…
The contemporary human
rights framework is premised on notions of equality, liberty, dignity and
universality: we all hold basic
rights because we are human beings. But the human rights system also recognises
that states may reserve some rights for their citizens, such as the right to vote
or be elected, placing these out of reach for stateless people. And in
practice, statelessness is a proven barrier to the exercise a wide range of
other rights. So the very universality of human right rests on the premise that
everyone enjoys a nationality – laid down, for that reason, as a right in most major
human rights instruments. Until statelessness is eradicated, the fundamental
aspiration of universal human rights remains just that, an aspiration. So, if human rights matter, statelessness matters.
If development matters…
Difficulties accessing
education and employment; restricted property rights; lack of opportunities to
own or register a business; limited access to a bank account or a loan; and, in
some cases, the threat of extortion, detention or expulsion; these factors can
trap stateless persons in poverty and make it extremely challenging for them to
improve their circumstances. Where statelessness affects whole communities over
several successive generations – as it often sadly does – such communities can
be neglected by development actors and processes. Statelessness means a waste,
of individual potential, of human capital and of development opportunities. So, if development matters, statelessness matters.
If democracy matters…
Nationality is the
gateway to political participation. Stateless persons have no right to vote,
stand for election or effect change through regular political channels. Their
statelessness suppresses their voices and renders their opinions obsolete. In
countries with large stateless populations, whole sectors of the constituency
are disenfranchised. Elsewhere, statelessness is a tool in the arsenal of those
who would seek to manipulate the democratic process, with deprivation of
nationality a means of silencing the opposition. To ensure a level and
inclusive democratic playing field, stateless persons must also be heard. So, if democracy matters, statelessness matters.
If addressing displacement matters…
Statelessness is a
recognised root cause of forced displacement, with stateless persons fleeing
their homes and often countries in order to find protection elsewhere. Preventing
cases of statelessness is vital for the prevention of refugee flows – a link
that has been a key motivation for UNHCR to further operationalise its
statelessness mandate and now call to end statelessness. Addressing nationality
disputes and tackling statelessness where it arises can also be a key tool in
resolving existing refugee situations because it can pave the way for
successful voluntary repatriation and reintegration. So, if addressing displacement matters, statelessness matters.
If peace
and security matter…
The vulnerability, exclusion,
despair, frustration and sometimes persecution experienced by stateless persons
can spark other problems. Casting a group as “others” or “outsiders” by denying
them access to nationality – in spite of clear and lasting ties to the country
– can contribute to attitudes of suspicion and discrimination. This can cause a
dangerous build-up of tension within and between communities that may lead to
conflict. Disputes surrounding nationality, membership, belonging and
entitlement can also hamper peace-building efforts. So, if peace and security matter, statelessness matters.
If size matters…
Many millions of people
are affected by statelessness around the world today. UNHCR estimates that
there are at least 10 million stateless persons under its mandate and if
stateless refugees and stateless Palestinians under UN Relief and Works Agency
mandate are added to this tally, the figure is higher still. This means that
there are enough stateless persons to create a medium-sized country (although
this is not suggested as a solution). Moreover, these numbers do not include
the many more who feel the impact of statelessness, for instance because a
close family member lacks any nationality. So, if size matters, statelessness
matters.
What can you do?
The launch of the
campaign led by the UNHCR to end
statelessness by 2024 is a great opportunity to reach out to all individuals,
communities and organisations, who have it within their capacity to help
address statelessness. Please take a moment to reflect on statelessness
and its many impacts. Is it relevant to your field of work? Does it affect
people in your country? Do people near you experience the vulnerability and
exclusion of statelessness?
Sign up to UNHCR’s #ibelong campaign to end statelessness:
http://ibelong.unhcr.org/. Start a conversation,
discuss the issue, raise awareness and try to use your position and expertise
to help. Share this note on ‘Why Statelessness Matters’ with people in your
network; watch and share this short video too. If you would like to learn
more about statelessness, if you want to do something but are not sure what, or
if you are looking for partners to collaborate with, get in touch with us and
we will try to help. If you think your
organisation can better integrate statelessness into its work but would like to
brainstorm ideas to make this happen, we will support you. If you want to further
study the link between your field of expertise and statelessness, we welcome
your plans. Together, we can end statelessness. We can also, in the interim,
protect and include the stateless. This issue matters.
Amal
de Chickera, Laura van Waas and Zahra Albarazi – Founders of the Institute on
Statelessness and Inclusion
The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion is a newly
established, independent non-profit organisation dedicated to leading an
integrated, inter-disciplinary response to the injustice of statelessness and
exclusion. In December 2014, the Institute will release its first publication,
“The World’s Stateless”, assessing the challenge of ending statelessness by
2024 by taking a closer look at what we know (and what we don’t know) about who
is stateless and where. To find out more or support the Institute’s work,
please visit www.InstituteSI.org or contact us at info@InstituteSI.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment