IN SOLIDARITY WITH

THE STATELESSSIGNATORIESADC MemorialAditus Foundation, Malta
Americas Network on Nationalityand Statelessness
Amnesty International
Asia Pacific Refugee Rights
NetworkAn urgent call to states, donors
and other stakeholders topromote and protect the rightsof stateless persons in their
COVID-19 responses

Asian Federation Against
Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)
Bahrain Women Union
Bangladesh Institute of HumanRights (BIHR)
Beyond Borders Malaysia
Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
Canadian Centre on Statelessness(CCS)CARAM Asia
Center for Justice and International
Law (CEJIL)
Central Asian Network on
Statelessness
Centre for Advancement ofDevelopment Rights (CEADER),
Nigeria

As governments across the world confront the COVID-19 pandemic, facing
deeply challenging decisions on protecting public health while averting
starvation and warding off economic disaster, it is increasingly evident thatin times of crisis, states are largely embracing a “citizens first” approach.
Denied nationality and deprived basic rights and welfare, the stateless werealready marginalised before the crisis. They now face even greater, lifethreatening marginalisation, with potentially disastrous consequences.
We, the undersigned 84 civil society actors, work on the right to nationality,
non-discrimination, and statelessness around the world. We have been
tracking and responding to the devastating impact of the COVID-19
pandemic and state responses to it, on those whose nationality andbelonging is denied or under threat. We have observed that in democratic
states, measures including border closures and movement restrictions,health assistance, emergency relief and economic stimulus packages,
privilege citizens and their concerns. Migrants, refugees, populations at
risk of statelessness and the stateless themselves are left behind. Those
without documentation to prove their citizenship or denied protection status
are most at risk. Moreover, with rising authoritarianism, as leaders exploit
the pandemic to grab more power, increase surveillance, and derogate fromhuman rights obligations under declared states of emergency, non-citizens
and members of minority groups – including those residing and renderedstateless in their own country – are increasingly scapegoated, vilified andtargeted for hate-speech, arbitrary detention and even expulsion.

Charitable fund “Right toProtection” (R2P), UkraineCitizens Against Hate
Citizenship Affected People’s
Network, Nepal
Coalition de la Société Civile
Ivoirienne Contre l’Apatridie (CICA),
Côte D’Ivoire
Collective for Research and Training
on Development-Action (CRTDA) My Nationality is A Right for Me andMy Family Campaign
Conscience International Sierra
Leone (CISL)
ConsonantDevelopment and Justice Initiative(DAJI), India
Development of Human Resource
for Rural Areas (DHRRA), Malaysia

Most of the people and communities we work with endure discrimination,
marginalisation and disadvantage under ‘normal’ circumstances. As thepandemic crisis takes its toll, the stateless are among those paying thehighest of prices. Many face increased racism and xenophobia and are
denied access to critical health services and information (in a language theyunderstand) on prevention and treatment. Many are also fearful of seeking
such assistance, as they are at-risk of being arrested, detained and subject
to removal proceedings. Others are excluded from desperately needed
emergency relief – as states require digital identity or documentation
establishing proof of citizenship in order to administer relief. We are also
concerned that measures that disrupt vital state functions such as birthand civil registration appear to be having knock-on effects for accessto nationality and protection for marginalised groups. These dynamics
could leave more people at risk of statelessness and exposed to its mostpernicious consequences, even when the health of all people depends on
the health of every individual, regardless of their legal status or lack thereof.
Below are some examples:••••

On all continents, minorities and those deprived of documentation andcitizenship, including Dominicans of Haitian origin, Indians declared
foreigners in Assam, the Bidoon of Kuwait, the Maragoli, Nubians, Shonaand Pemba communities of East Africa, and Europe’s Roma now face
additional threats to their livelihoods and health, with many enduring
heightened hate-speech, police violence and discrimination.
Women who are denied the equal right to confer citizenship on theirchildren or spouses, face impossible choices as non-citizen family
members are separated from them and/or denied COVID-19 relief.
Stateless people in densely populated camps, detention centres andinformal settlements, as well as those in situations of homelessness andpoverty, are at high risk of infection due to the inability to be protected
through social distancing and preventative hygiene measures.
The Rohingya have endured new waves of hate speech in Malaysia,
ongoing persecution in Myanmar and the first cases of COVID-19
have been reported in camps in Bangladesh, while a number of boats
carrying Rohingya refugees have been denied safe and expedited
disembarkation. As the crisis takes hold, it is evident that states are nottaking full responsibility or providing adequate protection for this group,
who have faced extraordinary persecution.

Dominican@s por Derecho Platform,
Dominican Republic
East Africa Nationality Network
Equal Rights Trust
Equality Now
European Network on Statelessness
Families of Victims of Involuntary
Disappearance (FIND), Philippines
Focus Development Association,
Madagascar
Foreign Spouses Support Group(FSSG), Malaysia
Forum for Women, Law andDevelopment, Nepal
Fundación Cepaim Acción Integral
con Migrantes, Spain
Foundation for Access to Rights(FAR), Bulgaria
Global Campaign for Equal
Nationality Rights
Gulf Institute for Democracy andHuman Rights (GIDHR), Australia
Haki Centre, KenyaIndonesian Legal Aid Associationfor Women (APIK)
Institute on Statelessness andInclusion
International Campaign for theRohingya
International Commission of Jurists
International Detention Coalition

As we witness first-hand the cost of institutional and public blindness andstructural violence towards the stateless (and those at risk of statelessness)
as states respond to COVID-19, we are deeply concerned about the lasting
impact on an estimated 15 million stateless persons worldwide, and tensof millions whose nationality is under threat. Without urgent attention,
protection and intervention, from states, human rights and humanitarian
actors and donors alike, the stateless face irreparable harm, undermining
progress in addressing this urgent human rights issue over the last decade.

International Observatory of HumanRights

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights our collective and individual vulnerability,
bringing into sharp focus the paramount importance of at all times promoting,protecting and fulfilling everyone’s universal human rights, wherever they
may be and whatever status they may have. In addition to demanding urgent
and immediate action, the crisis provokes longer-term introspection andhighlights the need for structural change to dismantle discriminatory anddegrading laws, policies and practices, which deny and deprive nationality
while excluding, marginalising and penalising on this basis.

Kuwaiti Bedoons Movement

While acknowledging and welcoming emerging examples of good practice,
we urge all stakeholders to take the following urgent actions:International Refugee Rights
Initiative
Justice & Equality Forum, UKKenya Human Rights Commission

Lawyers for Human Rights, SouthAfrica
Malaysian Campaign for Equal
Citizenship (MCEC)MENA Rights Group
MENA Statelessness Network(Hawiati)
Minority Rights Group International1. States, to not discriminate in COVID-19 responses on any grounds
including citizenship, documentation or migration status; to make every
effort to reach the furthest behind first, including the stateless; and to ensurethat no one’s right to nationality is undermined as a result of disruptions toregistries or for any other reason.
2. UN agencies, including the WHO, WFP, UNHCR, OHCHR, UNICEF andUNDP to ensure that their COVID-19 responses identify and reach thestateless and other vulnerable and overlooked groups as a matter of priority,to provide them with critical information, healthcare and relief.
3. Human rights actors, including OHCHR, to maintain a spotlight onenduring discrimination, rising authoritarianism and harmful state practices
such as police brutality in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and tomonitor and highlight rights violations faced by the stateless and those
whose right to nationality is at risk.
4. Humanitarian actors, including the WFP, to identify and target emergency relief and aid to stateless and other vulnerable communities who areexcluded from state relief efforts, in consultation with those working onthese issues.
5. Public health actors, including the WHO and health ministries,
to reinforce the importance of ensuring equal and adequate access tohealthcare and public health information to all, regardless of nationality orstatelessness, without fear of arrest, detention or reprisal.

Minority Rights Organization(MIRO), Cambodia
Mosawa Network, Jordan
Movimiento Reconoci.do,
Dominican Republic
Muslim Engagement andDevelopment (MEND), UK
Namati
Naripokkho, Bangladesh
New Women Connectors, Europe
Nubian Rights Forum, Kenya
Observatory Caribbean Migrants(OBMICA), Dominican RepublicOdhikar, Bangladesh
Our Journey, Malaysia
Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense
des Droits de l’Homme (RADDHO),
SenegalRights Realization Centre

6. Media and social media actors, to act responsibly, only publish verified
information, counter xenophobia and hate speech and take decisive action
against those who abuse media platforms to provoke hatred and prejudiceagainst the stateless, migrants, minorities and other marginalised groups.

Rohingya Human Rights Network,
Canada

7. Donors, to support stateless communities, the crucial work of activists
and grassroots groups, as well as the tracking, coordination and advocacy
conducted at national, regional and international levels, to provide for anddraw attention to the needs of stateless persons at this time.

Ruwad alHoukouk FR, Lebanon

Most importantly, we remind all stakeholders of the imperative to listen to,work with and be guided by stateless activists and communities, and to beaccountable to them for actions and inaction, during this time of crisis andbeyond.
While the price already paid has been immense, we hope thatthrough urgent and concerted action, we will together be able
to promote a rights-based, inclusive and non-discriminatory
response to COVID-19, based on the premise that no one –including the stateless - should be left behind. We stand ready toshare information and work with all stakeholders in furtheranceof this goal.

Roma Youth Organization “Walkwith us - Phiren amenca”

Salam for Democracy and Human
RightsSerantau, Malaysia
Smile Myanmar
Southern African Nationality
Network
Statelessness Network Asia Pacific
Swedish Organization Against
Statelessness (SOAS)
The Arab Women Organization ofJordan (AWO)
The Arakan Project, Myanmar
The Brunei ProjectThe Omani Association for HumanRightsTirana Legal Aid Society (TLAS)
United Stateless, USA
Voice of the Children, Malaysia
Women Peace Network
Women’s Refugee Commission(WRC)