Geneva - The UN refugee chief António Guterres, joined by international figures, including four prominent South Africans, says he wants statelessness to be a thing of the past within 10 years.
He said this when he launched a global campaign on Tuesday called “I Belong”.
The UN High Commission for Refugees’ special envoy, film star Angelina Jolie, was among the first to sign the Open Letter along with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Rivonia Trial accused Ahmed Kathrada, veteran human rights lawyer George Bizos SC and celebrated musician Hugh Masekela.
Guterres spoke to journalists in Geneva before the launch of the campaign, noting that at least 10 million people worldwide are stateless.
He said a baby is born stateless every 10 minutes.
“Not allowed a nationality, they are often denied the rights and services that countries normally offer their citizens,” the UN refugee agency head said.
The devastating legal limbo for the millions of people worldwide who lack any nationality and the human rights protections that go with it was highlighted at a press conference.
“The goal of eradicating statelessness is looking increasingly possible thanks to dramatic progress in the number of states acceding to two key UN human rights treaties,” Guterres said.
The signatories say that 60 years after the UN first agreed to protect stateless people, “now it’s time to end statelessness itself”.
“Statelessness is inhuman. We believe it is time to end this injustice.
“There is also a very real link between statelessness, displacement and regional stability,” Guterres said.
“The most well-known case in the world is the Rohingyas in Myanmar with more than a million people, the majority of whom were not granted citizenship,” he noted.
“In Myanmar, they are considered to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
“But if you go to Bangladesh, they will be considered to be illegal migrants from Myanmar,” he pointed out.
Human rights signatories
Signatories to the Open Letter include (including high commissioner Guterres and UNHCR special envoy Angelina Jolie):
* Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, high commissioner for human rights.
* Anthony Lake, executive director, UN Children’s Fund.
* Helen Clark, administrator, UN Development Programme.
* Louise Arbour, former high commissioner for human rights, former chief prosecutor of UN international criminal tribunals.
* Lakhdar Brahimi, ex-UN and Arab League special envoy to Syria.
* Dr Surin Pitsuwan, former secretary-general of Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
* Juan Mendez, special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment.
* Adama Dieng, special adviser to the secretary-general on the prevention of genocide.
* Carla del Ponte, former chief prosecutor of two UN international criminal tribunals.
* Nils Muižnieks, Council for Europe commissioner for human rights.
* Astrid Thors, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe high commissioner on national minorities.
* Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president of Brazil.
* Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Laureate (2003).
* Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
* Hina Jilani, former special representative to the secretary-general on rights defenders.
* Kenneth Roth, executive director, Human Rights Watch.
* Barbara Hendricks, UN high commissioner for refugees honorary lifetime goodwill ambassador.
* Alek Wek, UNHCR goodwill ambassador.
* Aidos Sagat, UNHCR goodwill ambassador.
* Osvaldo Laport, UNHCR goodwill ambassador.
* Ahmed Kathrada, South African human rights activist.
* Hugh Masekela, South African musician/composer.
* George Bizos SC, South African human rights lawyer and campaigner against apartheid.
Independent Foreign Service
The Star