Stories
Over 1,500 displaced children receive birth certificates in Nigeria
Nigeria scales up birth registration of children at risk of statelessness, living in camps for internally displaced people.
Interview with Gillian Triggs, Assistant High Commissioner – Protection
As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, we asked UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs, why the 1961 Convention is still relevant today.
‘It was a very emotional moment … I felt that now I definitely exist’
Linda’s life in Russia shows what it means to overcome adversity. Her charisma shines in the YouTube videos she’s made covering pop hits. Outside her job organizing business events, she volunteers at eco-projects and works with children. Yet for most of her life, the...
‘I want all Shona women to see that they can be anything they want’
Nosizi Dube has always been a top performer in school but every year, her chances of advancing to the next level got slimmer. Born into the stateless Shona community in Kenya, she did not have the crucial documents to prove her identity and register for exams.
Sudanese mother wins citizenship for her children after seven-year legal struggle
Upon learning that her children were stateless, Hanan Jaber Abdallah, 43, embarked on a seven-year struggle to secure their Sudanese nationality. Legal support from UNHCR and its partner, and a change in the nationality law, helped her succeed.
Colombia gives Venezuela newborns a start in life
New measure grants citizenship to the children born to Venezuelan parents on Colombia soil, helping thousands at risk of statelessness
2019 Nansen Refugee Award ‘a symbol of hope’ for the world’s stateless
Lawyer Azizbek Ashurov spent over a decade helping the Kyrgyz Republic to resolve all known cases of statelessness in a historic first.
Intrepid lawyer achieves quest to eradicate statelessness in Kyrgyzstan
Heading out on foot, on horseback and in four-wheel drives, Azizbek Ashurov and his team of lawyers have helped Kyrgyzstan to end statelessness.
Citizenship hopes become reality for Iraq’s Bidoon minority
UNHCR-funded legal initiative has secured nationality for hundreds of formerly stateless families in southern Iraq, giving them access to basic rights and services.
Citizenship tastes sweet to Kyrgyzstan beekeeper
Abdusamat Saparov dreamed of being a beekeeper for over 20 years. But without a birth certificate or passport, it seemed impossible.
Helping families to thrive at the world’s largest refugee settlement
Two years after Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh, strides are being made in enhancing nutrition, shelter, sanitation, healthcare and registration, though challenges remain.
Urgent action needed to reform gender discriminatory nationality laws causing childhood statelessness
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, UNICEF, and the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights are calling for urgent action to reform gender discriminatory nationality laws that remain a root cause of global childhood statelessness.