Statelessness

Through a series of resolutions beginning in 1994, the UN General Assembly gave UNHCR the formal mandate to prevent and reduce statelessness around the world, as well as to protect the rights of stateless people. Twenty years earlier, the Assembly had asked UNHCR to provide assistance to individuals under the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

In Ireland UNHCR is engaged with the Government in finding ways to ensure that stateless persons are correctly identified and that based on such identification stateless persons are protected and have access to travel documents and naturalisation. A key concern is also to have statistical data reflecting the full extent of the statelessness.

UNHCR can assist statutory agencies, individuals, legal representatives, non-governmental organisations involved in identification of statelessness by giving guidance on available resources and advice on interpretation of relevant nationality legislation in the countries concerned.

UNHCR has welcomed the inclusion of stateless persons in Section 16 (g) of the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 as amended giving the Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform the possibility to waive naturalization requirements otherwise in place.

Currently UNHCR has noted that there are no procedures in which stateless persons can have their status considered. The lack of identification impacts on stateless persons’ ability to get, for instance, stay permits, travel documents, and to make representation to the Minister to waive the naturalisation requirements as specified in Section 16 (g) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 as amended.