UNHCR has called on states to take faster and more resolute action to help meet the campaign goal of eradicating statelessness.
This is contained in a statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today by UN Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
Mr. Grandi said this comes four years after the launch of a decade-long campaign to eradicate statelessness globally.
He said more than 166,000 stateless people have acquired or had their nationality confirmed.
Mr. Grandi stated that nine states have established or improved statelessness determination procedures, six states reformed their nationality laws and another two have eliminated gender discrimination such as preventing women from passing on their nationality to their children.
He said despite these accomplishments, millions remain stateless and living in limbo around the world, with the majority to be found in countries in Asia and Africa
Mr. Grandi said in 2017, approximately 70 countries reported 3.9 million stateless individuals, but UNHCR estimates that this is only a fraction of the total, saying the true number could be as much as three times higher.
“Today I call on politicians, governments and legislators around the world to act now, to take and support decisive action to eliminate statelessness globally by 2024,humanly, ethically and politically it is the right thing to do,” said Filippo Grandi.
Mr. Grandi said statelessness has many causes, but the biggest driver is problems in nationality laws, including discrimination.
He pointed out that the impact on individuals and their families is immediate and can be dire, because Statelessness means a life without a nationality and everything that comes with it.
Mr. Grandi said being stateless can mean a life without education, without medical care, or legal employment.
He said it can mean a life without the ability to get married, own a home, to move freely without prospects, or hope.
