Inter-Parliamentary Union For democracy. For Everyone
Conference on Ensuring Everyone’s Right to Nationality: The Role of Parliaments in Preventing and Ending Statelessness
26-27 November, 2015, Cape Town (South Africa) Co-organized by the Parliament of South Africa, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

	The Parliament of South Africa, IPU and UNHCR co-organized a conference on Ensuring Everyone’s Right to Nationality: The Role of Parliaments in Preventing and Ending Statelessness.  The Conference took place in Cape Town on 26 and 27 November 2015. Statelessness, or the absence of a nationality, is a problem affecting some 10 million people globally.   There is no region on the planet that does not have significant numbers of stateless persons.  In addition to the indignity of being without a nationality, stateless persons are often denied basic rights, such as access to education and health care. While statelessness is a serious problem, it is one that can be resolved and parliamentarians can play a vital role in achieving law reforms to prevent, reduce and, ultimately, end statelessness worldwide. The aim of the Conference was to increase awareness about statelessness and consider ways that parliamentarians can contribute to preventing and resolving it to the benefit of individuals, communities, nation-states, and the international community as a whole. It also aimed at identify parliamentary strategies that could help to support UNHCR’s campaign to end statelessness within 10 years through a 10-point Global Action Plan.