Empowered Futures: Pro Bono Support for Stateless-Led Change

Online Marketplace Project Snapshot

Empowered Futures: Pro Bono Support for Stateless-Led Change

Country/Region International

Project Title Empowered Futures: Pro Bono Support for Stateless-Led Change

Lead Organization PILnet

Total Funding Need 98,808 USD

Project timeframe 6-12 months

Supported Global Refugee Forum pledge PILnet coordinates the ‘Protection - PILnet - 2023 Global Legal Community Pledge’ and has made contributions towards the following relevant pledges: Protection - Ending Statelessness Localisation - Advancing Localization in Displacement and Statelessness Responses Partnerships - Refugee Protection Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) has made contributions towards the following pledges: Protection - Ending Statelessness Localisation - Advancing Localization in Displacement and Statelessness Responses Protection - PILnet - 2023 Global Legal Community Pledge

Which of the Sustainable Development Goals will this project contribute to? By engaging the legal community, the project predominantly advances SDG 16 targets on rule of law (16.3), accountable institutions (16.6), inclusive decision-making (16.7), legal identity for all (16.9), access to information (16.10), and non-discriminatory laws (16.b). Through legal aid, advocacy, and reform, it strengthens protection for stateless persons and supports transparent, inclusive systems that ensure no one is left without a legal identity. The project also contributes indirectly to other SDGs, including SDG 5 (Gender Equality) by challenging gender-discriminatory nationality laws, SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work) by improving access to rights and economic opportunities, and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by promoting inclusion and non-discrimination.

Which of the Actions specified in the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2.0, will this project contribute to?

Action 2: Ensure that no child is born stateless
Action 3: Remove gender discrimination from nationality laws
Action 4: Prevent denial, loss, or deprivation of nationality on ethnic, racial, religious, political, and other discriminatory grounds
Action 6: In migratory context, determine statelessness, and protect and facilitate naturalization of stateless persons
Action 7: Ensure birth registration for the prevention of statelessness
Action 8: Issue nationality documentation to those with entitlement to it to prevent statelessness
Action 11: Ensure stateless persons can enjoy their rights

Reference:
https://www.refworld.org/policy/strategy/unhcr/2024/en/148761

What is the main problem the project is seeking to address? Around the world, millions of people are denied a nationality and, with it, the ability to access basic rights. Stateless people live in a condition of legal erasure. They are invisible before the law, excluded from state protection, and unable to claim even the most basic entitlements. This exclusion is not accidental; it is upheld by discriminatory nationality laws, bureaucratic indifference, and systemic barriers to justice. As a result, stateless people are denied education, healthcare, employment, and freedom of movement, forced to navigate daily life in legal and political invisibility. Even where legal safeguards exist, justice remains out of reach. Stateless individuals are routinely excluded from state-funded legal aid, while civil society efforts to assist them are under-resourced and fragmented. In this vacuum, stateless-led organisations (SLOs) have emerged as vital defenders of rights, documenting abuses, advocating for reform, and building collective power. Yet many face steep barriers to operating safely and effectively; they cannot register legally, access funding, or secure the legal support needed to sustain their work. PILnet, with its strong record of mobilising pro bono legal expertise in the refugee and human rights fields, is now partnering with the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) and the Global Movement Against Statelessness (GMAS) to translate its model of legal empowerment into the statelessness context. Anchored in the principles of the GMAS, this project is stateless-led by design, guided by the expertise and priorities of stateless communities and responsive to their legal realities.

What is the main change the project seeks to achieve? This 12-month pilot project aims to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs), predominantly stateless-led organisations (SLOs), to access legal assistance for the rights of stateless people. The project is divided into 3 parts and will explore how the legal community can more effectively co-create pathways for equitable, accessible, and sustained pro bono legal support to empower CSOs. Part I: Needs Scoping and Foundations for Pro Bono Matching -Conduct a scoping exercise to identify priority legal needs, barriers, and support gaps of CSOs; -Increase awareness and access to PILnet's pro bono brokerage; -Develop a framework for success and a holistic referral mechanism for addressing legal needs in the statelessness field. Part II: Experimentation, Adaptation and Implementation -Co-develop a pro bono toolkit, together with 3-5 SLOs; -Conduct 2 workshops and provide bilateral support to empower CSOs to develop pro bono projects; -Match up to 10-15 organisations with pro bono legal assistance, including through innovative pro bono pitching roundtables. Part III: Learning and Sustainability -Increase awareness and support for statelessness-focused work with legal stakeholders through the Global Legal Community Pledge; -Share lessons learned and best practices from the project through dedicated sessions at the 2026 PILnet Global Forum, as well as GMAS, ISI and PILnet’s networks; -Facilitate attendance of 6 CSOs, including 4 SLOs, at the 2026 PILnet Global Forum. Together, we aim to build a durable legal support ecosystem that strengthens protection, expands access to justice, and amplifies the leadership and agency of stateless people in shaping their own futures.

Who are the key partners? PILnet will lead implementation of this 12-month project, with the Institute on ISI serving as co-lead and GMAS serving as a partner. All organisations are members of the Global Alliance and bring complementary strengths. PILnet will coordinate project delivery, manage the pro bono brokerage and learning components, and oversee monitoring and reporting; ISI will lead outreach to its network of statelessness-focused CSOs and SLOs, and GMAS ensures that activities are informed by lived experience. Activities will be co-designed with SLOs to ensure relevance and impact, and stipends will be provided to compensate for their expertise and participation. This project will leverage over 1 million pro bono hours pledged through the Global Legal Community Pledge, to drive community-driven legal empowerment. The engagement of SLOs will provide technical input, contribute to future capacity-building, and help identify opportunities for replication beyond the project timeline. In addition, members of the global pro bono community, including law firms, in-house counsel, and law students, will also be key contributors, delivering free legal assistance through PILnet's network. Together, these partnerships will ensure that the project not only delivers direct legal support to SLOs but also builds the foundation for a longer-term, coordinated legal-solutions strategy to end statelessness.

Who is the target population for this project? PrimaryThe project's primary target group are CSOs, particularly SLOs, that work to advance the rights and recognition of stateless people. These organisations often lack access to legal assistance, which limits their ability to engage meaningfully and advocate for systemic change. By increasing their access to pro bono legal support, the project will strengthen the capacity and sustainability of these frontline actors. The project aims to directly engage 40-50 CSOs, including at least 20 SLOs, through direct outreach and workshops. A smaller number (10-15 CSOs) will receive tailored legal support to scope pro bono projects and be matched with free legal assistance to address specific organisational or advocacy needs. Stipends will be provided to SLOs to ensure equitable participation and recognition of their expertise.

OtherThe secondary target population is the broader legal community, including law firms, in-house counsel, and university legal clinics, who will gain a greater awareness, knowledge and the experience needed to better support statelessness-related legal issues. This project ultimately targets stateless people and those at risk of statelessness in all its forms. By strengthening CSOs’ capacity to advocate for legal reforms, assist individuals in obtaining identity or nationality documentation, and access essential rights, the project will prevent new cases of statelessness and resolve existing situations, directly improving legal protection and inclusion for affected populations.

Funding and costs What is the total cost of this project?133,578 USD

How much funding is needed?98,808 USD

Why this project needs your support

Members of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness are driving innovative projects around the world, and we invite you to be part of this vital work. This snapshot gives you a brief look at one such initiative that needs your support. By contributing to projects like this, you can help create lasting change, uplift communities, and restore dignity to millions of people. Your involvement is crucial – together, we can turn the tide and build a future where statelessness is a thing of the past.

How to support

To support this initiative, please contact the Global Alliance Secretariat at stalliance@unhcr.org.

Together, we can turn the tide against statelessness and create a world where everyone enjoys their right to a nationality, and can fully contribute to society.

Disclaimer: The listing of snapshots on the Online Marketplace or inclusion in the offline repository, and their pitching to potential donors by the Global Alliance Secretariat, does not represent an endorsement by the Global Alliance, its members, or UNHCR as the Secretariat of the Global Alliance. All due diligence, background checks, and financial or legal accountability considerations are the sole responsibility of the donors concerned and should be conducted in accordance with their own regulations and requirements. The Global Alliance and its Secretariat do not endorse, participate in, or bear any legal or financial responsibility for the funding agreements or their implementation. For clarifications and additional information, please contact the Global Alliance Secretariat at stalliance@unhcr.org