#alternate Test RSS Feed Irish Times Top 10 Stories ActiveCampaign Business Today Digest More From Business ActiveCampaign Business Today Top Stories ActiveCampaign Business Today Editors Note ActiveCampaign Business Today Todays Columnist NOA RSS Construction RSS Commercial Property RSS facebook instant articles work rss Apple RSS The Irish Times - News @IrishTimesWorldFeed Irish Times World RSS [p?c1=2&c2=8946263&cv=2.0&cj=1] [] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-M9Q373 * Search * Newsletters * Crossword * Notices * My Account * Subscribe * Sign In The Irish Times Fri, Jan 15, 2021 ^ * The Irish Times * News * Sport * Business * Opinion * Life & Style * Culture * More * Video * Podcasts * Executive Jobs * Search * Subscribe * My Account * Sign In * News * World * US Election * Brexit * UK * Europe * US * Africa * Middle East * Asia-Pacific All News * Ireland + Irish News * World + US Election + UK + Europe + US + Africa + Middle East + Asia-Pacific * Politics + Shared Island + Election2020 + Oireachtas + Poll + Elections * Crime & Law * Social Affairs + Mother and Baby Homes + Religion & Beliefs * Health + Coronavirus * Education + Student Hub + 2nd Level Hub + Parents * Subscriber Only * Brexit * Courts * Environment + Climate Change + Heritage & Habitat * Science + Space * Consumer * Offbeat * Highlights * Specials + Coronavirus * Podcasts + Inside Politics + World View * Subscriptions + ePaper + Newspaper Archive Living in a state of statelessness Opinion: Why people who find themselves without nationality need State recognition of their plight Wed, Nov 5, 2014, 00:01 Sophie Magennis ‘Over the past 12 years, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal which assesses elibility for Refugee Status has found that 82 people were stateless but not refugees.’ Photograph: Getty Images ‘Over the past 12 years, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal which assesses elibility for Refugee Status has found that 82 people were stateless but not refugees.’ Photograph: Getty Images Stateless people are those who are not considered as nationals by any state. Given that states are charged with guaranteeing our human rights and providing us with the documents we need to travel, to marry and to work, not having citizenship of any state is problematic. Fahad Al-Enzi (name changed to protect identity) is currently in Ireland. He has no nationality, no citizenship or the rights, privileges and duties such a status would bestow on him. He is stateless. The authorities have asked him to get documentation from the Kuwaiti embassy but they won’t provide any because they say he is not a Kuwaiti citizen. He is a Kuwaiti Bidoon, and like over 100,000 others in the country in which he was born, he is not recognised as a citizen. His situation is not unique. There are at least 10 million stateless people worldwide, people with no nationality through no fault of their own. Some end up on the wrong side of redrawn borders. Others inherit their status from their parents, unable to become citizens despite having deep-rooted and longstanding ties to their communities and countries. Under some legal regimes women cannot pass on their nationality to their children. Other people become stateless due to administrative obstacles; they fall through the cracks of a system that ignores or has forgotten them. Thankfully, there are signs of a shift in international attitudes. Just three years ago, there were barely 100 states party to the two statelessness treaties – the 1954 UN Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Today the number of accessions stands at 144, which UNHCR believes is a sign of the requisite momentum needed to eradicate statelessness within 10 years. Already, legal changes in Bangladesh have enabled 300,000 stateless Urdu-speakers to become citizens. In Kyrgyzstan, more than 65,000 former USSR citizens have become Kyrgyz citizens since 2009. The solution for many stateless people will need to be found in the countries where they live. For stateless people outside of their birth country, other states will need to assist in finding solutions for them. This includes Ireland, which signed up to the two statelessness conventions in 1962 and 1973. There are a number of good provisions in Irish law aimed at preventing statelessness and assisting stateless people. For example, a child born in Ireland is an Irish citizen from birth if he or she is not entitled to the citizenship of any country. Naturalisation So what to do? An increasing number of countries have recently introduce d statelessness determination procedures. The UK introduced a procedure last year and Belgium, the Netherlands and Turkey are looking at ways to improve the identification of stateless people. Statelessness determination procedures have long been established in countries including France, Hungary, Italy and Spain. The case for the establishment of a such a procedure in Ireland needs to be made in terms of the number of people it may be relevant for, the impact the procedure would have on them and the possible other consequences. UNHCR has undertaken a scoping exercise on statelessness in Ireland to advance this case. It is not possible to put a figure on the number of stateless people in Ireland, in the absence of a procedure and coherent data. However there are some relevant data sources. Over the past 12 years, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, which assesses eligibility for refugee status found that 82 people were stateless but not refugees. While these findings were made strictly for the purposes of the refugee process, they indicate a small group of people who may be stateless and for whom there is no clear procedure to follow to resolve their case. There have also been a number of High Court cases involving stateless or potentially stateless persons. While Irish officials have undertaken a range of efforts to try to resolve individual cases, the lack of official documentation or a statelessness declaration often continue to pose significant problems. Durable solution In recent months the Irish authorities have issued the first two declarations of statelessness. UNHCR welcomes this development and stands ready to support the authorities in further developing arrangements or mechanisms which can be accessed by stateless people in Ireland. Unlike so many problems facing governments today, this is one UNHCR believes can be resolved globally with enough political will. Sophie Magennis is UNHCR head of office. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees this week launched its global campaign to end statelessness worldwide by 2024. Subscribe. More from The Irish Times * Irish News Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar said the aim is for ‘remote, blended and flexible working arrangements’ to be a much bigger part of life after Covid.’ Photograph: Getty New laws will give employees in the State the option to permanently work from home * Irish News Stephanie Walsh was asked in 1971 if her family would offer a temporary home to a young pregnant girl. Photograph: Diarmuid Greene ‘The social worker said: Were two seconds of pleasure worth it for all this?’ * Opinion A memorial marks a mass burial site at what was formerly the Bon Secours mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway. Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images 5:40 Diarmaid Ferriter: Efforts to avoid ‘public scandal’ created the greatest scandal of all * Politics Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education Josepha Madigan’s comment was criticised by Forsa’s Andy Pike. File photograph: Crispin Rodwell Josepha Madigan apologises for ‘normal’ children comment More in Sponsored The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, received conditional marketing authorization by the EMA in December and is now being rolled out nationwide. Photograph: Getty images A triumph of science and innovation With a host of local amenities, schools, shops and a beautiful beach, Bettystown is a winner. Illustration: Aoife Dooley Bettystown Co Meath is ideally situated for both Dublin and Belfast IT Tralee hosts two technology gateways, Shannon ABC and IMaR, which offers expertise in ICT and engineering to Irish firms. Photograph: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus Cork and Tralee institutes of technology build on decades of industry collaboration Irish Times Training partners with organisations to identify their training needs and develop a tailored suite of programmes to suit. The right training, at the right time, in the right way The Irish Times Logo Commenting on The Irish Times has changed. To comment you must now be an Irish Times subscriber. SUBSCRIBE GO BACK Error Image The account details entered are not currently associated with an Irish Times subscription. Please subscribe to sign in to comment. Comment Sign In ____________________ ____________________ [ ] I agree to the Terms & Conditions, community standards and Privacy Policy (BUTTON) SIGN IN Forgot password? The Irish Times Logo Thank you You should receive instructions for resetting your password. When you have reset your password, you can Sign In. The Irish Times Logo Please choose a screen name. This name will appear beside any comments you post. Your screen name should follow the standards set out in our community standards. Screen Name Selection Hello Please choose a screen name. This name will appear beside any comments you post. Your screen name should follow the standards set out in our community standards. ____________________ Only letters, numbers, periods and hyphens are allowed in screen names. (BUTTON) CONFIRM The Irish Times Logo Commenting on The Irish Times has changed. To comment you must now be an Irish Times subscriber. SUBSCRIBE Forgot Password Please enter your email address so we can send you a link to reset your password. ____________________ (BUTTON) SUBMIT Sign In Your Comments Sign In Sign Out We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Standards. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or by filling out this form. New comments are only accepted for 3 days from the date of publication. Latest World At least 15 dead after earthquake hits Indonesia’s Sulawesi island 08:39 Joe Biden unveils $1.9tn coronavirus stimulus package 07:41 Covid-19: UK bans travellers from South America and Portugal 06:56 New York state attorney sues mayor and police commissioner over George Floyd protests 00:36 Coronavirus sparks exodus of foreign-born residents from UK 21:25 World View Podcast World View - The Foreign Affairs Podcast - EU Vaccine Rollout: Who's doing well and who's lagging behind? World View - The Foreign Affairs Podcast - EU Vaccine Rollout: Who's doing well and who's lagging behind? 21:56 World View - The Foreign Affairs Podcast - Pro-Trump rioters storm the US Capitol World View - The Foreign Affairs Podcast - Pro-Trump rioters storm the US Capitol 26:07 World View - The challenges facing the Biden administration - with Thomas Wright World View - The challenges facing the Biden administration - with Thomas Wright 36:00 World View - our correspondents pick their moments of 2020 World View - our correspondents pick their moments of 2020 23:26 Subscriber Only You can expect to pay more for the goods you buy from British-based websites. Photograph: iStock Q&A: How Brexit has impacted online shopping from the UK How can we make sure our education system works for students, teachers and parents during this lockdown? Photograph: Getty How to lockdown-proof our education system Micheál Martin: It would be hard to overestimate the importance of vaccine delivery for the Government. It will be the most important thing the Coalition does in 2021. Photograph: Julien Behal/PA Beyond Covid-19: What are the other challenges facing Government in 2021? Most Read in News 1 Ireland could be ‘in serious trouble’ if new variants ‘change rules’ – Mike Ryan 2 ‘The social worker said: Were two seconds of pleasure worth it for all this?’ 3 New laws will give employees in the State the option to permanently work from home 4 Bitter final chapter in the Mike Pence-Donald Trump relationship 5 Coronavirus search: How is Covid-19 spreading in your area? Real news has value SUBSCRIBE Daily Today Daily Stay on top of the latest news with our daily newsletters each morning, lunchtime and evening Sign up Subscribe About Us Policy & Terms Cookie Settings Subscribe * Why Subscribe? * Subscription Bundles * Digital Subscriptions FAQs * Gift Subscriptions * Home Delivery Irish Times Products & Services * ePaper * eBooks * Crosswords * Newspaper Archive * Email Alerts & Newsletters * Article Archive * Executive Jobs * Page Sales * Photo Sales About Us * Advertise * Contact Us * The Irish Times Trust CLG * Careers Download on the App Store Download on Google Play * Our Partners * Rewarding Times * MyHome.ie * Irish Racing * Top 1000 * MyAntiques.ie * The Gloss * Irish Times Training * Terms & Conditions * Privacy Policy * Cookie Information * Cookie Settings * Community Standards * Copyright * FAQs © 2018 THE IRISH TIMES For the best site experience please enable JavaScript in your browser settings Sign In ____________________ ____________________ (BUTTON) Sign In Forgot Password? Don't have an account? Subscribe * Digital Subscriptions FAQs * Subscriber Only Articles * The ePaper * Subscriber Rewards * Subscriber Tour * Breaking news app * My Account * eBooks * Email Newsletters * Crossword Club * Newspaper Archive * Sign Out SUBSCRIBE ____________________ (BUTTON) Fri 15/1/2021 * News + Coronavirus + Ireland + World + Politics + Crime & Law + Health + Education + Subscriber Only + ePaper + Brexit * Sport + Gaelic Games + Soccer + Rugby + Golf + Racing + Other Sports + Women in Sport + Comment * Business + Open for Business + The Economy + Your Money + Companies + Technology + Work + Commercial Property + Comment * Opinion + Editorials + Letters + Columnists + An Irishman's Diary + Opinion & Analysis + Martyn Turner * Life & Style + Food & Drink + Homes & Property + Health & Family + People + Travel + Motors + Fashion + Abroad * Culture + Books + Film + Music + Stage + Art & Design + TV, Radio, Web + Tuarascáil + Heritage * More + You are what you read + eBooks + Offers + Jobs + Family Notices + Competitions * Video * Podcasts + Confronting Coronavirus + Inside Politics + The Women's Podcast + Inside Business + Added Time + World View + Back to Yours + The Irish Times Book Club * Executive Jobs * Crosswords * Newsletters * Notices ____________________ (BUTTON) ____________________ ____________________ Forgot Password? (BUTTON) Sign In Invalid email or password. Not an Irish Times subscriber? Subscribe * Digital Subscriptions FAQs Frequently asked questions about your digital subscription * Subscriber Only Articles Specially selected and available only to our subscribers * Subscriber Rewards Exclusive offers, discounts and invitations * Subscriber Tour Explore the features of your subscription * Crossword Club Digital Simplex and Crosaire crosswords * Newspaper Archive 150 years of Irish Times journalism * My Account Manage your account * eBooks Carefully curated selections of Irish Times writing * Email Newsletters Sign up to get the stories you want delivered to your inbox * The ePaper An exact digital replica of the printed paper * Breaking news app Our Apple and Android apps to read on the go * Sign Out