The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights

As we mark International Women’s Day 2025 #IWD and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Equality Now, the The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and UN Women are calling for expedited action to end gender discrimination in nationality laws and recommit to efforts to achieve gender-equal nationality rights around the globe. We stand in solidarity with the many impacted mothers, children and their families, who are calling for reforms without delay. Those impacted are experiencing wide-ranging harms and human rights violations, including obstacles to accessing education, healthcare, employment, inheritance, property rights, freedom of movement and family unity. Gender-discriminatory nationality laws are a leading cause of statelessness and also contribute to gender-based violence, including child marriage and human trafficking. In December 2024, we were heartened to hear champions from governments, parliaments and civil society from fifteen countries, at the Global Multistakeholder Summit on Advancing Gender Equality in Nationality Laws, commit to mobilize action where reform is still needed. It is time for all nationality laws to uphold women’s status as equal citizens by ensuring gender-equal nationality rights. Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/ehP9-JAi

The Global Multistakeholder Summit on Advancing Gender Equality in Nationality Laws took place on December 10-11, 2024. The summit brought together parliamentarians, government officials and representatives from civil society organizations from among the 24 countries where women lack the right to confer nationality on their children on an equal basis with men, and where there is ongoing interest in addressing this issue. Co-organized by the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights (GCENR), Equality Now, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and UN Women, the summit empowered participants to work together to strategize, build partnerships and propose roadmaps towards enacting nationality law reforms to enshrine gender equality. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency UN Women Equality Now Inter-Parliamentary Union Participation included parliamentarians and representatives from government and civil society from Bahrain, Eswatini, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Nepal, Somalia, and Saudi Arabia. In addition to representatives from countries that have successfully reformed their nationality laws, Egypt, Madagascar, and Sierra Leone, who shared insights, experiences, and benefits of good practices for achieving equal nationality rights. Civil society organizations from Lebanon, Qatar, and Syria also contributed by highlighting grassroots advocacy efforts. The summit featured keynote addresses from Kelly T. Clements, UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner, and Sofia Calltorp, Director of UN Women Geneva and Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Presentations were given by leading activists and impacted mothers, Deepti Gurung from Nepal (2024 Nansen Awardee) and Adlyn Teoh from Malaysia, from Family Frontiers who helped secure the historic constitutional amendment for women’s equal citizenship that was passed recently by parliament. Speakers included members from CEDAW and CRC committees, along with experts who provided insights on gender-discriminatory nationality laws and highlighted international frameworks and the SDGs that support gender-equal nationality rights. Breakout group exercises allowed parliamentarians, government officials, and civil society reps to brainstorm strategies for advancing gender-equal nationality rights. Discussions focused on steps for reform at national, regional, and international levels for 2025 and beyond. The summit builds on recent regional and international momentum, including the Global Summit on Gender Equality in Nationality Laws (2023), the Arab Declaration on Belonging and Legal Identity (Adopted in 2023) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Relating to the Specific Aspects of the Right to a Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa (2024). The summit underscored the importance of immediate action and collective effort among all stakeholders to ensure equal nationality rights for women and men.

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The Global Statelessness Fund is a new initiative that aims to support organizations and activists engaged in rights-based work to address issues of statelessness and discriminatory nationality laws. In 2024, thanks to the support of Oak Foundation, Ford Foundation, Porticus, and Blue Sky Social Justice Fund, we have committed 1.5 million USD to 21 groups across 15 countries. You are invited to join us for an online celebration of this milestone and our official launch! Date: 16 January 2024, Thursday Time: 8 AM New York / 1 PM London / 2 PM Brussels / 4 PM Nairobi / 8 PM Bangkok Location: Online – Zoom Register here & stay tuned for more updates: https://lnkd.in/dCQFvcWp Simultaneous translation will be available during the event in English, Spanish, Arabic, and French. Moderator: Tracey Gurd Speakers: - Deepti Gurung, Citizenship Affected People's Network, Nepal - Catherine Harrington, The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights / Women's Refugee Commission - Jean-Fran?ois De Hertogh, Open Collective Europe Foundation - Audrey Guichon, Porticus - Otto Saki, Ford Foundation - Tim Parritt, Oak Foundation - Sabine Larribeau, Global Statelessness Fund Panelists: - Amal de Chickera, Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion - Bina Ramanand, Family Frontiers - Martin Dunn, Dunn Family Charitable Foundation/ Blue Sky Social Justice Fund - Yasah Musa, Nubian Rights Forum Grantee highlights: - Jawad Fairooz, SALAM DHR - Elvis Berisa, Walk with us – Phiren Amenca - Noor Azizah, Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network - Abdikadir Mohamed, Somali Association of South Africa (SASA) - Alicia Wallace, Equality Bahamas #Statelessness #EndStatelessness #HumanRights #RighttoBelong #NationalityRights #LaunchEvent #EventInvitation

Last few days in Geneva was productive, beautiful and empowering. I was grateful to witness the launch of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness, be there for my mother as she received the regional Nansen Award by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and shared my voice in few side meetings with funders, UNHCR staffs, and during the FIRST SCREENING of the documentary "Beyond the Barbed Wire". Not to mention, I got to meet my family, specially my sister, a dear friend, colleagues from Global Movement Against Statelessness (GMAS) and all my friends/Colleagues/mentors working in statelessness field. Being recognized by the Nansen Award is definitely more than an individual recognition. It is a significant light on the issue and serves as hope for all individuals impacted by gender discriminatory citizenship laws. We aim to run with this torch in Nepal - and light as many changes as we can. For this, we will definitely need constant support from the global community. A sincere congratulations to Global Alliance to End Statelessness for kickstarting a renewed focus on the issue with 30 states already joining the Alliance and more and more CSOs and stateless led activists and organizations joining in. I can't wait to see all the impacts that the statelessness field are set out to do together. Speaking at the documentary screening, I couldn't be more grateful to UK Government and the Global Campaign on Equal Nationality Rights Catherine Harrington&Abbas Taleb for providing an important platform to amplify the voice. The only thing it has left me is with more determination to continue on this otherwise difficult journey. To my sister, father, mother and a dear friend/brother Michiel Hoornick, thank you for making this trip feel like home.

A Victory in the Fight for Women’s Equal Citizenship in Malaysia In a significant step towards ending gender discrimination in nationality laws, Malaysia’s lower house of parliament (Dewan Rakyat) voted on October 17 to amend Malaysia’s Constitution to uphold women’s right to confer nationality on children born abroad on an equal basis with men. The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights celebrates this victory for justice and women’s equal citizenship in Malaysia. This achievement would not have been realized without the relentless campaign led by our dear coalition member Family Frontiers, alongside a courageous group of impacted mothers and their families. The bill will have to be passed through the upper house of parliament (Dewan Negara) and be presented to the Conference of Rulers for their consent before it is gazetted. We hope these institutions move swiftly to enshrine in law, women’s right to confer nationality on their children abroad. Our full statement here: https://lnkd.in/ehTDZN8K Family Frontiers

"Reform is necessary to ensure no child is left behind, no mother is denied the right to pass on her nationality, and statelessness is relegated to the books of history." Here's a snippet of Deepti Gurung’s powerful acceptance speech during the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency #NansenAward. Her words inspire us to continue the fight for equal nationality rights. Citizenship Affected People's Network, Nepal Footage credits: UNHCR. Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gafUJG8A #EndStatelessness #GenderEquality #EqualNationalityRights #NansenAward2024

We are proud to announce that our coalition member, Deepti, founder of Citizenship Affected People's Network, Nepal has been honored with the Women’s Refugee Commission’s prestigious Voices of Courage Award! ?? This award celebrates her tireless commitment and incredible dedication to ending discrimination against women. Congratulations, Deepti! ?? Your work continues to inspire us all. #VoicesOfCourage2024 #GenderEquality #EqualNationalityRights

?? Join us in the fight for gender-equal nationality laws in Eswatini! Your voice matters. Support the efforts of Youth Sustainable Development Centre by following them and amplifying their messaging. Together, we can ensure that everyone has the right to a nationality. #GenderEquality #EqualNationalityRights #GCENRCoalitionMemberSpotlight . . . ?? This post is part of the GCENR coalition member spotlight initiative, highlighting the incredible work of our coalition members who are working on achieving gender equality in nationality laws within their respective countries and communities. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and insights from the frontline of the movement for #GenderEqualNationalityLaws.

? Prepare to be moved by a powerful spoken word performance by Mpumalanga Zwane, Spoken Word Poet and Project Officer at Youth Sustainable Development Centre. This poetic expression captures the struggles and hopes of those affected by gender-discriminatory nationality laws in Eswatini. Let the words inspire you to join the fight for #GenderEquality in #NationalityLaws. #EqualNationalityRights #GCENRCoalitionMemberSpotlight . . . ?? This post is part of the #GCENRCoalitionMemberSpotlight initiative, highlighting the incredible work of our coalition members who are working on achieving gender equality in nationality laws within their respective countries and communities. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and insights from the frontline of the movement for #GenderEqualNationalityLaws.