Examines the humanitarian implications of statelessness, a fundamental cause of discrimination, exploitation, and forced displacement around the world. Statelessness takes a disproportionate toll on women, children, and ethnically mixed families, who have no legal protection or political rights, live in poverty, suffer travel restrictions and social exclusion, often are victims of sexual and physical violence, and lack adequate access to health care and education. Social scientists and refugee advocates get information about: (1) nationality as a fundamental human right; (2) conditions that precede or create statelessness and the scope of statelessness worldwide; (3) the role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in preventing and reducing statelessness and its success in Crimea, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, and the Czech Republic, among other places; and (4) specific experiences of the Biharis in Bangladesh, Estonia’s Russian-speaking minority, and the Bidoon of the United Arab Emirates. Among the report’s recommendations are that all states adhere to international standards to protect stateless people and reduce statelessness by facilitating acquisition of nationality; UNHCR establish a dedicated department to focus on statelessness; and donor governments provide increased funding to support UN and nongovernmental organizations’ work on behalf of stateless people. CONTENTS Executive Summary Nationality: A Fundamental Human Right No Right to Reside: Conditions that Create Statelessness No Country to Call Home: The Scope of Statelessness Whose Job Is It Anyway? UNHCR’s Second Mandate “Citizen, Third Class”: Findings from RI’s Statelessness Project Bangladesh Estonia United Arab Emirates Exploring Common Themes Profiles of Stateless People Global Review of Statelessness Conclusion and Recommendations Sources Appendix A Appendix B Acknowledgments
