“We welcome this development to recognize foundlings as citizens of the Philippines. The country has a strong humanitarian tradition of international protection in support of those at risk of being stateless.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Philippines welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision favoring foundlings as citizens. The court stated on 8 March that “in sum, all of the international laws and conventions and instruments on the matter of nationality of foundlings were designed to address the plight of a defenseless class which suffers from a misfortune not of their own making.”
Bernard Kerblat, UNHCR Representative in the Philippines, said: “We welcome this development to recognize foundlings as citizens of the Philippines. The country has a strong humanitarian tradition of international protection in support of those at risk of being stateless. The Philippines was the first country in the Southeast Asia to become party to the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons, which defines who is considered stateless and establishes minimum standards of treatment. Today 10 million people around the world are without any clearly defined link to an established nationality. A child is born stateless every ten minutes. They are denied their basic rights. They have no freedom of movement, no access to education, social services, employment and to own property. This significant decision from the Supreme Court is an important step in the country’s history and once again, the Philippines is a shining example of humanitarianism in taking concrete steps to reduce statelessness in the region. It sets a positive example that member states may wish to follow.”
UNHCR commends the Government of the Philippines for its ongoing efforts to consider acceding to the 1961 Convention, which establishes an international framework to ensure the right of every person to a nationality by establishing safeguards to prevent statelessness. To learn more about the #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness by 2024, log on to http://www.unhcr.org/ibelong/.
For more information, please contact:
Gina Maramag, UNHCR
External Relations Associate
[email protected]
+63917.597.9667
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