What is the main problem the project is seeking to address? Gender discrimination in nationality laws (GDNL) is a leading cause of statelessness and causes other wide-ranging human rights violations inhibiting global goals including gender equality, children’s rights and wellbeing, inclusive, sustainable development and accountable governance. Twenty-four countries globally have nationality laws that deny women the right to confer their nationality on their children on an equal basis as men, including Brunei, Kiribati, Malaysia and Nepal in the Asia Pacific. The Asia Pacific also counts approximately 20% of the countries with GDNL regarding the conferral of nationality on a noncitizen spouse. Impacted persons are often inhibited from accessing education, healthcare, formal employment, residency rights, financial services, property rights and inheritance, their freedom of movement, and their full participation in society generally. GDNL contributes to gender-based violence (GBV), including child marriage and human trafficking, and can result in family separation. While the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights’ previous activities advanced progress for reform in a number of countries in the region, there is a need for targeted engagement of key stakeholders, capacity building, knowledge sharing and awareness raising at the regional level to bolster and reinforce national and international efforts to advance gender-equal nationality rights in the Asia Pacific. This is an opportune moment to strengthen efforts to end GDNL in the Asia Pacific region, particularly women’s inability to confer nationality on their children. GCENR is well poised to capitalize on the foundation that has been laid to increase commitment, strengthen multistakeholder action, and advance reforms in the region.

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What is the main change the project seeks to achieve? To increase awareness of the benefits of gender-equal nationality rights and mobilize reforms efforts, GCENR will: Convene an Asia Pacific Multistakeholder Summit on Achieving Gender-Equal Nationality Rights with stakeholders from impacted and good practice countries, and regional and international stakeholders. Drawing on the success of GCENR’s Global Multistakeholder Summit, the Summit will include parliamentarians, representatives from concerned government ministries, civil society, intergovernmental organizations, and other experts. Through the sharing of good practices, testimonies of impacted persons and key actors, the Summit will result in enhanced commitment and road maps for action along with new and strengthened relationships between national civil society leaders, influential persons from government and parliament, UN and other intergovernmental institutions, driving more coordinated and impactful local reform efforts; Convene an Asia Pacific Summit Task Force of coalition members in Brunei, Kiribati, Malaysia, and Nepal and the regional statelessness network to co-design the Asia Pacific Summit and lead pre- and post-Summit stakeholder engagement at national and regional levels; and Pre- and Post-Summit Civil Society Capacity Building Workshops online to support civil society to capitalize on the Summit, share strategies for impactful advocacy, and coordinate post-Summit. Work with regional coalition members to develop a Myth-Busting Guide to dispel common myths and fears raised to oppose reforms and outline why women’s equal nationality rights benefits society. Impacted persons will benefit from legal reforms, advanced through this project, with impacted activists also benefiting from capacity building and participation in the Summit, enhancing their ability to affect change for their communities.

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Who are the key partners? Project Lead: The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights (GCENR), a coalition of national, regional, and international organizations, independent activists, and UN partner agencies working to end gender discrimination in nationality laws and housed at Women’s Refugee Commission. GCENR is a member of the Global Alliance Advisory Committee and co-chair of the Thematic Working Group on Addressing Discriminatory Nationality Laws and Policies. GCENR Asia Pacific NGO coalition members will be Asia Pacific Summit Task Force members, participants in the Summit and capacity building workshops, and co-design the Myth-Busting Guide: Asia Pacific Regional: Nationality For All, Global Alliance Member; Asia Pacific Regional: Statelessness and Dignified Citizenship Coalition Asia Pacific (GA member); Brunei: Global Awareness & Impact Alliance; Kiribati: Aia Maea Ainen Kiribati; Malaysia: Family Frontiers, GA Member & Advisory Committee Member; Nepal: Citizenship Affected Peoples Network, GA Member. Based on past collaborations to cosponsor the Global Multistakeholder Summit and an expressed interest to collaborate on proposed regional Summits, GCENR welcomes the following entities to also join in cosponsoring the Summit: The Inter-Parliamentary Union, UNHCR, UNICEF, UN Women, co-chair of TWG Addressing Discriminatory Nationality Laws and Policies. The following entities would be invited to have high level representation at the Summit and Post-Summit Roundtable: Governments of impacted and recent reformer countries: Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, Nauru, Nepal, Pakistan, The Philippines (GA Advisory Committee co-chair), Thailand; ASEAN; Pacific Islands Forum; The Commonwealth Secretariat; OHCHR, UNDP; Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness.

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Who is the target population for this project? PrimaryPrimary Stakeholders based in Asia Pacific countries with gender-discriminatory nationality laws: Impacted activists Civil society leading/engaged in reforms efforts Representatives of concerned Governments ministries Parliamentarians Concerned UN agencies

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OtherPopulations impacted by gender-discriminatory nationality laws Broader human rights/humanitarian civil society. Relevant regional intergovernmental actors

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Funding and costs What is the total cost of this project?100,000 USD

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How much funding is needed?100,000 USD

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