Social Sustainability

Stateless Person

Meaning statusEstablishedSource recordDirect document linkedWhy these are different

Definition

A stateless person is defined by the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons as someone not considered a national by any state under the operation of its law. Statelessness arises from discriminatory nationality laws, state succession, gaps between citizenship regimes and arbitrary deprivation of nationality; stateless people typically cannot access education, healthcare, formal work, travel documents or legal protection. UNHCR's #IBelong campaign targeted ending statelessness, which affects millions worldwide.

References

www.unhcr.orgBulk import source

Source imported for editorial provenance.

Source organisationSupporting reference

This reference provides supporting context for how “Stateless Person” is defined and used.

Overview

How it is used

The concept structures refugee and nationality law, UNHCR protection work, climate displacement policy, and civil registration reforms (legal identity for all, SDG 16. 9).

Why it matters

Rights are meaningless without someone obliged to deliver them; statelessness shows what happens when that someone does not exist.