The Global Alliance and the Solutions Seeker Programme in Focus at GRF 2023

On 15 December 2023, a parallel high-level event on statelessness, “From Pledges to Results: Realizing a World Free from Statelessness through Collaborative Action” was organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at the Global Refugee Forum 2023.

The event underscored the need for accelerated action to address statelessness and spotlighted an array of new, significant pledges aimed at addressing and preventing statelessness. These commitments came from a diverse group of stakeholders: national governments including Côte d’Ivoire, Iraq, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States; and key organizations like the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Latin American and Caribbean Council of Civil Registry, Identity and Vital Statistics (CLARCIEV), and the European Network on Statelessness.

A major highlight of the event was the introduction of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness and the Solutions Seeker Programme. The session, expertly moderated by Maha Mamo, a renowned nationality rights activist, featured a panel discussion of diverse stakeholders. These included the 2019 Nansen Refugee Award Laureate, Mr. Azizbek Ashurov, Mr. Dennis Arvin Chan, from the Department of Justice of the Government of the Philippines, Mr. Paul Koreki, from the Ministry of Justice of the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, and Ms. Kareen Jabre, representing the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

GRF 2023 was marked by an impressive commitment to address statelessness, with 135 new pledges made. Of these, 64 pledges came from 42 states. Significantly, 24 entities, including 11 states such as Australia, Ecuador, Moldova, Montenegro, Thailand, Spain, Slovenia, the UK, and the USA, along with 13 organizations, have committed to joining the Global Alliance. These organizations are the Central Asian Network on Statelessness (CANS), European Network on Statelessness (ENS), Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI), Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Nationality for All (NFA), Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness (PMCS), Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town, The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights (GCENR), OHCHR, UNICEF, Vital Strategies, United Stateless, and the Women’s Refugee Commission. Additionally, the Philippines, Cote d’Ivoire, and CLARCIEV pledged to both join the Alliance and the Solution Seeker Programme.

Canada and MERCOSUR pledged to explore joining the Alliance. Meanwhile, Costa Rica, the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), and other entities announced their support for the Global Alliance in their plenary statements.

To formalize membership in the Global Alliance, entities are encouraged to complete the sign-up process either via the online form on the Global Alliance webpage www.statelessnessalliance.org or by submitting a letter to the Global Alliance Secretariat at [email protected].