African Human Rights Day: Call for Action on the Right to a Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa

On African Human Rights Day, as we mark 40 years since the entry into force of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, we are calling for renewed action to protect the right to a nationality and end statelessness across Africa.

A joint statement led by the Pan African Nationality Network (PANN), the South African Nationality Network (SANN), the Global Alliance to End Statelessness, Lawyers for Human Rights and other partner organisations highlights that nationality is fundamental to human dignity, equality, belonging and full participation in society.

Across the continent, millions of people continue to face barriers to proving or acquiring a nationality. Colonial legacies, discriminatory nationality laws, gaps in birth registration, forced displacement and exclusionary identity systems leave many people at risk of statelessness and unable to access basic rights and services.

The statement welcomes the African Union’s adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Relating to the Specific Aspects of the Right to a Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa. At the same time, it stresses that progress now depends on concrete action by States.

The coalition calls on African States to:

• Sign, ratify and implement the AU Protocol on Nationality and Statelessness;
• Prevent and eradicate childhood statelessness;
• Remove discrimination from nationality laws and policies;
• Ensure accessible, fair and inclusive civil registration and identity systems; and
• Meaningfully engage affected communities in developing and implementing solutions.

On this African Human Rights Day, we join partners across the continent in reaffirming that no one should be denied their rights, opportunities or sense of belonging because they lack a nationality.

Read and Share the Joint Statement- Standing Together for Citizenship and Human Dignity in Africa –  Here