UNHCR welcomes landmark U.S. initiative on statelessness

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This statement is attributable to Matthew Reynolds, UNHCR representative to the United States and the Northern Caribbean

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply gratified by the U.S. government’s pledge to adopt a formal definition of statelessness and for the first time to develop an official process to identify and protect stateless individuals in the United States who are not recognized as a national by any country in the world.

The U.S. commitment to address the situation of stateless individuals in the United States offers real hope both in the United States and globally to stateless people who have been forced to live in the shadows and place their lives on hold simply because they have been deprived of a nationality and many of the basic rights that nationality automatically confers.

The U.S. acknowledgment of, and pledge to work to resolve, challenges and obstacles faced by stateless individuals in the United States, is a significant practical milestone and a tangible example of leadership demonstrating commitment to the conviction that every person belongs. UNHCR stands ready to support the U.S. as it begins to implement these commitments.

To learn more about statelessness and UNHCR’s campaign to end it worldwide by 2024, please visit the UNHCR #IBelong campaign website.

For more information please contact: 

In Washington: Chris Boian, [email protected], +1 202 243 7634