Townhall Meeting on introducing the Global Alliance Thematic Working Groups
The Global Alliance held its first Townhall meeting online on February 24-25, 2025, focused on introducing the Alliance’s inaugural thematic working groups (TWGs) and their co-chairs. During the meeting, the co-chairs introduced the thematic areas, priorities and kickstart plans.
The Townhall meeting was attended by some 140 Alliance members representing diverse stakeholder groups, including Governments, civil society and stateless-led groups, and regional intergovernmental organizations.
The thematic working groups are a key workstream of the Global Alliance, established as expert forums to advance the Alliance vision and mission, in particular thematic areas which warrant intensified attention, advocacy and action. They are designed to identity and address key gaps, foster learning and promote innovative solutions. Each TWG is co-led by two Global Alliance members from different stakeholder groups and regions, responsible to engage members, collaboratively draft work plans and ensure overall implementation and progress.
The inaugural TWG focus on three critical areas:
- Ending childhood statelessness (co-chairs UNICEF/ Child Identity Protection)
- Addressing discrimination in nationality laws and policies (Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights/ UN Women)
- Protecting the rights of stateless persons (Peter McMullin Center on Statelessness/ UNHCR)
Participants had the opportunity to ask questions to the co-chairs during a Q&A session and shared new initiatives and tools in the Open Floor segment. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to turn discussions into concrete actions.
Click here and here to watch the full meeting videos and learn more about the TWG’s work.
To join a TWG, please complete the enrollment form available on each TWG’s page.
Next Steps:
The inaugural TWG meetings will be open to all Global Alliance members:
- Protecting the Rights of Stateless Persons: First meeting on Wednesday, March 26 at 10:00:11:30 CET;
- Addressing Discrimination in Nationality Laws and Policies: First meeting on Wednesday, April 2 at 14:00-15:30 CET;
- Ending Childhood Statelessness: First meeting on Thursday, April 3 at 14:00 – 15:30 CET;
23 December 2025
Statelessness in the Spotlight: Key GRF Progress Review Highlights
From 15 to 17 December 2025, Geneva hosted the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review – an important global convening which sought to maintain momentum and assess progress against the implementation of the pledges made at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) towards the advancement of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). Governments, regional organizations, UN partners, civil society, and people with lived experience came together to spotlight, inter alia, progress and address gaps in nationality law reform, birth registration, legal identity, and documentation – key to preventing and reducing statelessness. The Global Alliance to End Statelessness featured prominently, showcasing growing membership and collective action. In this article, we explore the highlights and commitments shaping the path toward ending statelessness.
Read more8 December 2025
Equal Nationality Rights for Women – Key to Ending Statelessness and Strengthening Societies
On 2nd December 2025, Catherine Harrington, Manager of the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, moderated the fourth Global Alliance Webinar on Addressing Gender Discrimination in National Laws and Policies. Opening the event, she reminded participants that over forty-five countries still maintain nationality laws that discriminate based on gender. Twenty-four of these do not permit women to confer nationality on their children on an equal basis with men, making gender-discriminatory laws one of the root causes of statelessness.
Read more2 December 2025
Join the Advocacy: Endorse Letters Urging Stronger State Action on Statelessness
The Global Alliance Protection TWG, co-led by UNHCR and the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness, is supporting advocacy and awareness raising efforts to protect the rights of stateless persons. To achieve this, we are inviting Global Alliance members to endorse two letters: one addressed to States that have not yet acceded to the 1954 Convention, and another to States that are party to the Convention but have not yet established a Statelessness Determination Procedure.
Read more