Some 15 million people worldwide are stateless – yet until just a decade ago, the field of actors working to solve statelessness and help stateless people was sparse. A handful of advocates, activists, academics, community organisations, and UN actors were running against the grain, attempting to address an issue that was invisible to the wider world and to correct historical wrongs. Donor awareness of statelessness – how it is a crucial human rights challenge in its own right and how it intersects with all other global human rights challenges – was almost non-existent. And stateless communities and their leaders were very much at the periphery, not meaningfully involved in setting the agenda, poorly resourced, and far from sites of power.

Ten years on, the second World Conference on Statelessness was held in Kuala Lumpur, organised by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, Nationality For All, DHRRA Malaysia and Family Frontiers. Over 450 people attended, with over 30 per cent directly affected by statelessness. People came from all over the world: stateless activists, local NGO workers, INGO staff, academics, lawyers, practitioners, artists, UN staff, government representatives and donors. Discussions focussed around the conference themes of knowledge, solidarity, and change were rich, insightful and motivating.

Reflections

Several staff members of Porticus’ People on the Move Challenge team were among the attendees. The issue of statelessness has become a focus area at Porticus, as it is prevalent among migrants, including refugees (many stateless people are forcibly displaced, and many displaced people become stateless). Committed to upholding the fulfilment of migrants’ labour and human rights, Porticus continues to support issues on statelessness by building awareness, contributing resources and connecting actors working in both the migration and statelessness field.

Audrey Guichon, People on the Move Challenge Lead at Porticus, offered her reflections on the convening:

‘When movements shape the agenda, this unlocks new forms of solidarity and progress. I learnt a lot from all participants, in a variety of ways. I saw solidarity being built there and then and was particularly amazed when I heard, on more than one occasion, leaders committing to rallying their community around the suffering of others, whom they deemed to need it more urgently than they did. I also saw migrant leaders committed to open their support more broadly and intentionally to reach stateless communities and individuals. Solidarity is expandable and powerful, and it was obvious on a human and strategic level in Kuala Lumpur. Change happens gradually often over a long period of time, which is why meaningful moments on the journey to change should be celebrated. It was therefore particularly powerful to witness the official launch of the Global Movement Against Statelessness.

The ‘Think of Others’ arts programme had a huge impact on how the conference was experienced. The arts programme was integrated all throughout: from short plays, to photos and other performative sessions. The arts helped everyone connect physically and emotionally with the issue in a way that is closer to how deeply it is felt, I imagine, by those living it day after day. Statelessness is a human rights issue, but it is also about all the feelings and sentiments that were unlocked by such a rich and engaging arts programme. It reaffirmed for me that arts make it easier to share and receive experiences of statelessness, but I also suspect that they will contribute to eliminating it.’

Koon Peng Ooi, Senior Manager at Asia Philanthropy Circle, also shared his reflections:

‘The World Statelessness Conference in KL was an incredibly insightful event. It was helpful to hear directly from those affected by statelessness and the different organisations dedicated to supporting them on the ground. The discussions highlighted the urgency of addressing this often overlooked issue and how different stakeholders, including funders, can work together to empower those affected by it.’

Finally, Tim Parritt, Programme Officer in the International Human Rights Programme 

at the Oak Foundation, which also supported the Conference, offered some thoughts on his experience and why this was an important moment for philanthropy:

‘A milestone event, the 2024 World Conference on Statelessness reflected clear progress made in advancing the agency, visibility and vision for change of stateless people around the world. Centering on those directly impacted, the conference explored a broad range of current policy and practice, comparative examples of community empowerment and solidarity, and pathways to effective reform. Ending on a message of hope, the launch of a Global Fund for Statelessness again focused on those most in need, and offered a pathway to provide flexible resources to stateless communities and individuals working on the frontlines’.

The Conference was an example of what can be achieved when people come together and connect as humans first. A report from the conference highlighting Key Takeaways noted that, ‘Key to these conversations was creating the space for meaningful engagement between those of us involved in different global, regional and national initiatives, that must relentlessly seek ways to improve dialogue, coordination and collaboration. These conversations happened both during conference sessions, but also in the margins, during breaks, over meals and informally.

‘The conference provided the space for this community building, by creating an open and welcoming atmosphere, and encouraging participants to make time for each other. We will no doubt continue to find out the many ways in which the connections sparked during the conference bear fruit over the coming years.’

The rich foundation of knowledge and solidarity, and the appetite for change created through the conference must be capitalised on over the coming years. The statelessness field, particularly with its newly launched Global Movement Against Statelessness and the Global Statelessness Fund which is geared to make its first grants in the coming months, is primed to find new, creative, inclusive and effective ways to promote everyone’s right to a nationality and the rights of all stateless people. Through the Movement and Fund, the donor community has before it, a golden opportunity to support an inspiring, creative and ambitious community of actors, committed to fighting on behalf of the world’s most marginalised, and for whom defeat is not an option.

The second World Statelessness Conference was a good starting point to raise awareness on a human rights issue previously pushed to the sidelines in the funder community. As it gradually becomes a priority to several donors, philanthropy needs to seize this momentum and consolidate their efforts in funding stateless support groups and movements, as well as meaningfully involve people affected by statelessness in relevant decision-making.

Koon Peng Ooi is a Senior Manager at Asia Philanthropy Circle, based in Singapore. Tim Parritt is an International Human Rights Programme Officer at Oak Foundation, based in London. Audrey Guichon is the Challenge Lead for People on the Move at Porticus, based in London.