Action on Statelessness

*(updated)

1. UNHCR's Statelessness Unit now has a Facebook page.  Two noteworthy international developments announced on the page include:

- At the recent UN High-Level Meeting on the Rule of Law, the European Union pledged that Member States who have not yet done so will "address the issue of statelessness by ratifying the 1954 Convention and by considering ratification of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness." UNHCR's Statelessness Unit noted that "Once implemented this will result in universal accession to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons in the European Union."

- "Ecuador became the newest State party to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness this week. Treaty actions by Portugal and Honduras are expected in the next few days. There are now 47 States parties to the Convention, up from 37 only 15 months ago. And 27 more States have pledged to accede."  To monitor progress on States fulfilling the pledges they made at last December's Ministerial Meeting, visit the State Action on Statelessness page.

2. Advocacy relating to the High-level Meeting, accessions and State pledges:

*- Campaign for Statelessness Conventions Gains Traction, at Last (Statelessness Programme Blog, Oct. 2012) [text]

- Dozens of Organizations Urge Member States to Accede to Statelessness Conventions (Refugees International, Sept. 2012) [text]

- No Country to Call Home (Women's Refugee Commission Blog, Sept. 2012) [text]

- Taking Stock of State Pledges to Tackle Statelessness? (European Network on Statelessness Blog, Sept. 2012) [text]

[Image credit: IDLO's infographic from its ROL meeting page]

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