In 2014, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees issued a report to attempt to eliminate statelessness by 2024.
The UNHCR estimates that there are some 10 million stateless persons in the world. Ending that status is a high priority for the agency.
It has a ten point plan, including:
ENSURE THAT NO CHILD IS BORN STATELESS
Goal: No reported cases of childhood statelessness.
Goal: All States have a provision in their nationality laws to grant nationality to stateless children born in their territory.PREVENT DENIAL , LOSS OR DEPRIVATION OF NATIONALITY ON
DISCRIMINATORY GROUNDS
Goal: No States have nationality laws which permit denial, loss or deprivation of
nationality on discriminatory grounds.ACCEDE TO THE UN STATELESSNESS CONVENTIONS
Goal: 140 States are party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.
Goal: 130 States are party to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
Does the UN’s other “refugee agency,” UNRWA, adhere to these goals?
No. In fact, UNRWA opposes these goals!
It won’t admit it publicly, of course, but for nearly 70 years UNRWA has been encouraging millions of people to remain stateless in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria – but only as long as they can be considered “Palestinian.” UNRWA has never said a word against discriminatory laws in those states against Palestinians.
Most importantly, UNRWA has been complicit in the idea that Palestinians born in those countries not becoming citizens of those states, and even if they do become citizens through some loophole (which hundreds of thousands have managed to do), UNRWA wants them to be treated differently and not to ever be considered full citizens – until Israel is destroyed by “right to return.”
It is one of the most egregious crimes of a UN agency that acts completely at odds with another agency, in order to perpetuate misery and statelessness and discrimination.
The fact that so few people consider this outrageous is itself outrageous.
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