2023 Statelessness Intensive Quiz

Where can we find the definition of a stateless person in international law?

• 1954 Convention, Article 1

• 1961 Convention, Article 4

• 1954 Convention, Article 4

• 1961 Convention, Article 1

Fill in the blank:

The 1954 Convention defines a stateless person as ‘a person who is not considered as a national by any State under the (a)   ’

True or false?

All stateless persons are refugees

• True

• False

Answer explanation

False. Some stateless persons are also refugees - however, many persons who are stateless have never crossed an international border. They are called in-situ stateless persons.

Which of these international instruments are relevant to addressing statelessness?

• ICCPR

• CRPD

• CEDAW

• CRC

• CERD

Answer explanation

All of these have significant implications for the lives of stateless persons!

Which of these is NOT a common consequence of statelessness?

• Restricted freedom of movement

• Stripping of citizenship

• Lack of access to employment

• Institutional discrimination

• Inheritance of statelessness

Answer explanation

Stripping of citizenship is generally understood as a cause of statelessness, not a consequence.

UNICEF estimates that as many as 50 million children born each year fail to have their birth registered. Are all of these children stateless?

• Yes

• No

Answer explanation

Lack of birth registration can put people at risk of statelessness. However, being undocumented is not the same as being stateless.

Which one of these famous people was NOT, at some point, stateless?

• 
• 
• 
• 
• None, they were all stateless

Answer explanation

They were all stateless!

Anne Frank lost German citizenship in 1941 but never became a Dutch citizen

 

Albert Einstein was stateless for five years after renouncing his German nationality. He was then naturalised as a Swiss citizen in 1901

 

Osama Bin Laden was stripped of his Saudi Arabian nationality in the 1990s in response to his criticism of the regime at that time

 

Karl Marx became stateless due to his publications and lived in exile in London for decades

Which of these are common examples of gender-discriminatory laws that contribute to rendering persons stateless?

• A wife being eligible for citizenship based on the nationality of her husband

• A wife's citizenship being bound to that of her husband

• A mother being unable to confer citizenship to her child

• A husband being eligible for citizenship based on the nationality of his wife

Answer explanation

Spouses being able to claim citizenship thanks to the citizenship of their partner is a beneficial policy for all genders, helping to reduce statelessness (as long as it’s provided equally).

However, it is discriminatory and often harmful for one partner's national status to be tied to the other.

What is the difference between the group of countries on the left, and the group of countries on the right?

• Accession to 1954 Convention

• Accession to 1961 Convention

• Possession of an SDP

True or false?

Statelessness determination procedures are needed to identify all stateless persons.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

False. SDPs should be conducted for persons in a migratory context. However, for in situ stateless populations, determination procedures for the purpose of obtaining status as stateless persons are not appropriate because of their long-established ties to these countries.