Excluded: Stateless minorities in times of crisis
The side-event at the 9th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva, Switzerland, will explore the particular vulnerability of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities who are denied citizenship and find themselves stateless or at risk of statelessness. It will look both at the humanitarian consequences of deprivation or denial of nationality, as well as at statelessness as an additional factor of vulnerability for minorities in displacement, in camps or otherwise in need of humanitarian relief.
The thematic focus of UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness for the next two years will be ‘Equal Nationality Rights.’ As such, this event will be an opportunity to shed light on the issue of stateless minorities, on its concrete consequences for millions of men, women and children across the world, and on the link between statelessness and minority issues.
Panellists
- Mr. Volker TÜRK, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, UNHCR
- Ms. Rita IZSÁK-NDIAYE, UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Ms. Wai Wai NU, Director of Women Peace Network Arakan (Rohingya ethnic minority, Burma/Myanmar) – remote participation
- Ms. Aven AHMAD, YASA – Kurdish Centre for Legal Studies & Consultancy (Syria)
- Mr. Mark LATTIMER, Executive Director, Minority Rights Group International (MRG)
Moderator: H.E. Mr Thomas HAJNOCZI, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Austria to the UN.