What is the main problem the project is seeking to address? Across the Asia Pacific region, organizations led by persons impacted by statelessness face systemic barriers to sustainability, visibility, and leadership in the global movement to end statelessness. While such groups play an essential role in documenting rights violations, mobilizing affected communities, and advancing advocacy for legal and policy reform, they often operate with limited institutional systems, funding access, and leadership support. Many have emerged organically in response to urgent human rights crises and depend on short-term, project-based or volunteer-driven work, which restricts their ability to grow, retain staff, or influence structural change. Nationality for All’s internal evaluation of its Partnership Building Program (2021–2024) found that ad-hoc capacity support alone cannot sustain these organizations’ growth or resilience. Without structured, long-term accompaniment, impacted persons–led groups such as the Statelessness and Dignified Citizenship Coalition – Asia Pacific (SDCC-AP), Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (R4R), and Citizenship-Deprived Youth Struggle Committee (CYSC – Nepal) remain under-resourced and excluded from national, regional, and global policy spaces. This gap perpetuates power imbalances in the statelessness field, where those most affected continue to have the least access to resources and representation. Addressing it aligns directly with the GRF multistakeholder pledges on meaningful participation and localization, and with the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2.0’s goals of empowering stateless persons. Sustained, well-resourced partnerships are urgently needed to build institutional strength, leadership, and long-term advocacy capacity among impacted persons–led organizations across the region.

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What is the main change the project seeks to achieve? This project seeks to strengthen the leadership, sustainability, and advocacy capacity of statelessness-affected persons and their organizations across the Asia Pacific region. Building on NFA’s Partnership Building Program (2021–2024), it will provide structured accompaniment and institutional development support to three impacted persons-led organizations: the Statelessness and Dignified Citizenship Coalition – Asia Pacific (SDCC-AP), a regional coalition; the Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (R4R), working across India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar; and the Citizenship-Deprived Youth Struggle Committee (CYSC) in Nepal. Over two years, NFA will mentor these organizations to establish strong governance, financial management, and operational systems; strengthen their strategic planning, fundraising, and monitoring and evaluation capacities; and connect them to relevant peer networks and advocacy platforms under the Global Alliance to End Statelessness. The program will also facilitate cross-learning and mentorship exchanges with NFA’s previous partners, fostering solidarity and collective learning across generations of impacted-persons-led organizations. By the end of 2027, this initiative will have transitioned these groups from ad-hoc, volunteer-run collectives into sustainable, independent institutions equipped to manage resources, mobilize communities, and lead national and regional advocacy efforts. The project envisions a visible shift in the regional statelessness field, one where impacted persons not only participate but lead policy dialogue and movement-building. Ultimately, the project will contribute to the GRF pledges on meaningful participation and localization, and advance the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2.0 by promoting inclusive, durable, and rights-based solutions driven by those most affected.

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Who are the key partners? Lead: Nationality for All (NFA) – a regional organization supporting statelessness-affected groups through research, advocacy, and partnership-building. Partners: i) Statelessness and Dignified Citizenship Coalition – Asia Pacific (SDCC-AP): A regional network uniting CSOs and activists to promote dignified citizenship and equal nationality rights. ii) Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (R4R): A stateless-led organization advocating for Rohingya rights, legal documentation, and community protection in South and Southeast Asia. iii) Citizenship-Deprived Youth Struggle Committee (CYSC), Nepal: A youth-led collective advocating for the rights of stateless and citizenship-deprived youth in Nepal.

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Who is the target population for this project? PrimaryStateless persons and those affected by citizenship discrimination in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar (with focus on youth and women leaders).

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OtherNational governments, regional intergovernmental bodies, National Human Rights Institutions, National human rights defenders, grassroots advocates, and regional coalitions promoting equality and nationality rights.

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Funding and costs What is the total cost of this project?115,000 USD

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How much funding is needed?95,000 USD

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