UNHCR: New Global Alliance launched to consign statelessness to history

GENEVA – More than 100 States, civil society organizations, stateless-led entities, academics and others have united to form a new Global Alliance to End Statelessness, committing to address the grave inequity faced by millions of people around the world denied a nationality.

The Global Alliance, which builds on the decade-long #IBelong campaign, was officially launched by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, during the annual Executive Committee meeting of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Geneva, which started Monday and continues this week.

“Over the last decade, we have made real progress around the world through the UNHCR #IBelong campaign, helping find solutions for communities and individuals that had been marginalized for generations,” said Grandi. “But the work is not over. We must ensure that everyone – everywhere – has a nationality, is able to enjoy their rights and participate as full members of society, without discrimination.”

“This new, diverse Global Alliance of dedicated partners will now take the cause further. The vision is simple: a world where no-one is deprived of their fundamental human right to a nationality. Let’s be ambitious – ending statelessness is within reach.”

Focusing on the world’s most pressing displacement and humanitarian issues, the Executive Committee meeting opened with a dedicated session, known as the “High Level Segment on Statelessness”. Addressing more than 100 international government delegations and over 50 organizations, Grandi emphasized that the leadership of this new Global Alliance features a “whole-of-society” approach, placing those with lived experience at the center.

Heeding the call to combat statelessness, an easily solvable issue contingent on political commitment, Turkmenistan announced during the meeting that it had officially resolved all known cases of statelessness on its territory, becoming the latest country to do so.

Granting citizenship to more than 32,000 people including refugees and stateless people in recent years, it attributed this achievement to a combination of strong political will, legislative reform, international cooperation and the modernization of civil identification and registration systems.

More commitments and progress are expected to be made, with the Global Alliance set to start work this month. It will be led by a 15-member Advisory Committee comprising States, UN agencies, civil society and international organizations, and stateless-led organizations. UNHCR will support the Global Alliance and host its Secretariat, in accordance with its mandate.

“Being a member of this Global Alliance will send a strong signal to the rest of the world. It represents a commitment. It will be a place to exchange best practice, advocate collectively and to push for resolutions on this issue,” said Grandi, inviting other states and entities to “join this historic effort”.

For more information on this topic, please contact:

• In Geneva: Shabia Mantoo, [email protected], +41 79 337 76 50
• In Geneva: Matt Saltmarsh, [email protected], +41 79 967 99 36