The State of Statelessness Research: A Human Rights Imperative

Abstract

After a long and difficult journey, statelessness has now ‘arrived’ as a recognised focus of both academic and policy-oriented study. This article discusses how the issue has come to demand and increasingly receive attention from researchers around the world. It looks at how scholarly interest in statelessness first manifested itself as the analysis and interpretation of the application of international legal standards on nationality and statelessness, but has since witnessed a transition towards an interdisciplinary field of study. The article comments on the rich and diverse research partnerships that have emerged and how statelessness research is significantly enhanced by opportunities to engage directly with UN institutions, government policy-makers and civil society organisations, in order to better understand the fundamental challenges they face. Finally, the article reflects on what more needs to be done to develop a truly comprehensive, common research agenda for statelessness – one that can contribute to a more effective response, by all stakeholders concerned, to this significant human rights challenge.

Keywords

• statelessness
• human rights
• nationality
• research
• UNHCR