Ending Childhood Statelessness

The problem of childhood statelessness is a pervasive issue with lifelong consequences. Children born without a nationality often face severe discrimination, as statelessness can profoundly limit their access to essential services like education and healthcare. Without legal recognition, these children are denied opportunities to fulfill their potential and pursue their dreams, trapping them in cycles of marginalization and exclusion.

The Ending Childhood Statelessness TWG aims to break this cycle by advancing the global efforts to prevent and end statelessness from birth. Preventing childhood statelessness is not only crucial for individual human rights but also beneficial for broader development outcomes. By ensuring that no child is left stateless, communities and states can foster more inclusive, resilient, and prosperous societies.

The TWG’s key activities include the review of gaps in law and bottlenecks in practice, exchange of best practices and development of collaborative initiatives and strategies, advocating for law reform and improving birth registration systems as a fundamental step in preventing statelessness. Additionally, the TWG advocates for states to join the UN Statelessness Conventions, reinforcing international commitments to statelessness prevention and safeguarding the rights of stateless individuals.

States are urged to take decisive steps in line with the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2.0, to inter alia, allow children to gain the nationality of the country in which they are born if they would otherwise be stateless; reform laws that prevent mothers from passing their nationality to their children on an equal basis as fathers; eliminate laws and practices that deny children nationality because of their ethnicity, race or religion; ensure universal birth registration to prevent statelessness.

Alliance members are invited to join this Thematic Working Group (TWG) to contribute to global efforts to end childhood statelessness and protect every child’s right to a nationality. To participate, please complete the online form below.