全球逾1,000万人为「无国籍人士」，没有身份证，无法得到公民可申领的服务：接驳自来水及电力也变得遥不可及。图中的无国籍女孩在克罗地亚，一家以拾荒维生。
While most of Europes Roma possess a nationality, the Zahirovic family remain stateless. They live in a cramped and flimsy room, with no running water, electricity or sanitation facilities in Croatias Vrtni Put. The familys only source of income is from collecting scrap metal. UNHCR / Nevenka Lukin / November 2010 *** Local Caption *** Mr. Zahirovic (Rasid) was born in Italy in 1989 and is a citizen of BiH. He has permanent residency as a foreigner until 2012. He is registered as living with his brother at a nearby address. He confirms that he lived in Zagreb from early childhood ie. he came to Croatia with his parents. He also states that he has not left Croatia at all for the past 15 years. Since 1991, he is married (common-law) to Mirsada Hrustic and they have ten children together, all born in Zagreb. The marriage was officiliased in 2009. Four of the ten children attend the local primary school Lovro pl. Matacic which is nearby. Eight of the children have citizenship of BiH. Two of the eldest children, Mehmed and Silvija, were born in the home and do not have birth certificates. The eldest son, Kemal, born in Zagreb does not have regulated stay in Croatia, he has a temporary stay permit which will soon expire. In 2004, Mr. Zahirovic filed an application for Croatian citizenship, which was rejected . The project team are assiting Mr. Zahirovic to obtain citizenship. They have requested a report from the Office for Administrative and Inspections (Minsitry of Interior) about actions that were taken in his case and discovered the procedure for obtaining Croatian citizenship was aborted because of a criminal procedure carried against Mr. Zahirovic. However, this criminal procedure was suspended in April 2009. The mobile team is currently following up this case to assist Mr. Zahirovic obtaining citizenship. Mrs. Zahirovic was born in 1975 in BiH and is a citizen of BiH. She does not have regulated stay in Croatia and the project team will help her to regularise her status on the basis of humanitarian reasons. They will also assit the eldest son who is now an adult. They are assisting in the case of the two children without birth certificates to register them in the birth register.
纽斯列（Nusret）说：「你在这里只是个影子，路过旁人却遭视若无睹。你没有任何权利，像个本来过着平常生活的人，突然失去一条腿而变成残障。」
莉雅（Leal）说：「这就像你并不存在，活在一个平行世界里。」
他是住在黑山、49岁的纽斯列，她是住在黎巴嫩、30多岁的莉雅。从年龄、性别到成长背景，两人的生命历程可谓毫无交叠；然而，像全球超过1,000万人一样，他们都是「无国籍人士」，尽管彼此互不相识，却成为了同病相怜的「天涯若比邻」。
归根究柢，大部份无国籍问题均源于种族、宗教或性别歧视，甚至牵涉如前苏联解体或目前叙利亚内战等政治纠纷。不过，纽斯列的个案却是一场近乎荒谬的悲剧──1983年，出生于科索沃的纽斯列，在18岁领取黑山公民身份时被当局误作为塞尔维亚籍；30年来在黑山的生活早已安顿下来，他却在去年申领护照时被告知当年的错误，其塞尔维亚国籍更随即被注销。
失去国籍，不仅是失去难以名状的身份认同，还有种种受公民身份保障的切实权利与服务。银行职员一句反射性的「先生，唔该身份证」，却使纽斯列哑口无言，提取存款的程序也被迫中断；领取护照出国无门，只能在彼邦守望定居于科索沃的病重母亲。留在熟悉的社区，这里仍然存留无数记忆的痕迹，人们如常打招呼，仿佛为他活着作见证；可悲却是，每当想到只要离开半步，要诉说身份已经无从凭据，犹如被隔离的囚徒，纽斯列不禁悲从中来，「仅仅15公里以外，我便不再是黑山的公民。我做任何事均失去意志，只能每天叩门求助。」
一人承受苦果自然难受，无国籍跨越世代的祸延性却更可怕。因父亲出生时没有登记身份，即使母亲拥有黎巴嫩国籍，在这个法例只容许新生儿「继承」父亲国籍的国度，莉雅与6个兄弟姊妹就此成为了无国籍人士。即使事件可望诉诸法庭解决，莉雅却陷于无穷尽的恶性循环──没有身份证明就无法找到工作，没有赚取工资就无法聘请律师……在缺乏医疗保障及政府资助下，莉雅连急需进行肾脏手术的费用也难以负担。
像纽斯列与莉雅的悲剧多如恒河沙数，但联合国难民署相信，每个人都应该拥有基本人权，可以发挥才能，为社会作出贡献。就像科学家爱因斯坦曾在16至21岁期间经历过5年无国籍状态，若我们不欲无国籍人士的潜能遭到埋没，就必须从多方面着手，包括提高民众进行出生登记的意识、推动各国修改法例及政策，以及加快国籍审批程序等，从而根治无国籍状态问题。
尽管无国籍问题在部份国家仍然充满政治争议，然而在过去10年，透过立法及政策转变已经促使超过400万人脱离无国籍状态；此外，国际社会的取态也出现转向征兆，两条有关解决无国籍问题的国际公约──《1954年关于无国籍人士地位的公约》及《1961年减少无国籍状态公约》，缔约国数目在短短3年间由100个增至144个，使更多民众受到相关保障。 [1]联合国难民署亦正在收集1,000万个签名，推动在10年内解决无国籍状态问题，希望你们登入ibelong .unhcr.org，支持是次「I Belong」行动。
坚持下去才见到希望。今天我们见到了希望，更要坚持下去。
[1] 截至2014年11月4日，《1954年关于无国籍人士地位的公约》共有83个缔约国，《1961年减少无国籍状态公约》则有61个缔约国。
文：联合国难民署义工－Vaso Chun
编：联合国难民署公众教育及传讯主任－覃咏欣
