Geneva, June 2024
SDCC-AP, together with the Network for Advocacy (NFA) and members of the Asia Pacific Delegation on Statelessness, marked a strong presence at the UNHCR Global NGO Consultations 2024 in Geneva.
This year’s theme — Solutions, Inclusion in National Systems, and Gender Equality — brought together stakeholders from across the world to share experiences and develop recommendations to be presented to the UNHCR Executive Committee.
Key Highlights
Focus on Statelessness in Asia Pacific
NFA and the Asia Pacific Delegation actively engaged in discussions and bilateral meetings with multilateral stakeholders, centering their interventions on solutions to statelessness through the meaningful inclusion of persons with lived experience.
In collaboration with partners, the delegation emphasized:
- The importance of addressing statelessness through inclusive national and regional civil society engagement.
- Follow-up opportunities after the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) 2023, the World Conference on Statelessness 2024, and the launch of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness.
Side Event on Meaningful Inclusion
A special side event was co-organised by ENS, NFA, and the UNHCR Statelessness Section. The discussion focused on:
- Meaningful inclusion of persons with lived experience in change-making and solution-seeking.
- Promoting legal and policy frameworks to eliminate gender discrimination in nationality laws.
- Protecting the legal and economic rights of stateless persons.
The dialogue highlighted the importance of civil society engagement, multi-stakeholder action, and accountability to ensure visibility of statelessness issues globally. Notably, this year’s consultations hosted the largest Asia Pacific delegation on statelessness to date.
UNHCR NGO Side Meetings
11 June
- Meeting with Adam (Forum Asia): Discussion on strengthening advocacy initiatives through human rights mechanisms with NFA and SDCC-AP.
- Meeting with Rachkorn Surabhakdi (UNHCR Inter-Agency Coordination Officer, Asia Pacific Regional Bureau): Focused on regional advocacy, collaboration, and statelessness efforts in Asia Pacific.
12 June
- Meeting with UPR Info: NFA and SDCC-AP explored advocacy initiatives within the UPR process.
- Meeting with Elizabeth Tan (Director, UNHCR’s Division of International Protection): Representatives from the statelessness delegations in Asia Pacific including SDCC-AP, Africa, and the EU discussed UNHCR’s priorities under its statelessness mandate, including the upcoming Global Alliance to End Statelessness and global advocacy opportunities.
13 June
- Plenary Session on Gender Equality: SDCC-AP Steering Committee member, Bina Ramanand delivered a powerful presentation, sharing the struggles and victories of Malaysian mothers against gender-discriminatory nationality laws and their impact on statelessness.
14 June
- Strategic Litigation Roundtable: SDCC-AP participated in discussions on draft guidance for litigation to address statelessness. Topics included:
- Birth registration, legal identity, and digital ID systems.
- Assessing risks and benefits of litigation.
- Collaborative strategies to strengthen legal arguments on statelessness cases.
Looking Ahead
Through these engagements, SDCC-AP continues to work alongside regional and global partners to:
- Strengthen advocacy efforts in the Asia Pacific.
- Amplify the voices of persons with lived experience of statelessness.