April 2025, World: UNHCR/UN Women Background note on Gender Equality, Nationality Laws and Statelessness 2025

The 2025 report reveals that 24 countries still deny women the right to confer their nationality to their children on an equal basis with men, perpetuating statelessness. Discriminatory nationality laws can leave children without citizenship, particularly when fathers are unknown, stateless, or unable to complete legal procedures.

“Gender discrimination in nationality laws must end to prevent statelessness and its devastating consequences,” stated UNHCR. While the report highlights progress, with legal reforms in countries such as Egypt, Indonesia, and Liberia, ongoing concerns remain. Since 2008, the UN’s Universal Periodic Review process has issued 187 recommendations urging the elimination of gender-based discrimination in nationality laws. UNHCR and UN Women continue to advocate for legal reforms, emphasising that gender-equal nationality laws are critical for human rights and sustainable development.

Child Identity Protection (CHIP) supports these recommendations, underscoring the need for comprehensive legal frameworks guaranteeing every child’s right to nationality. CHIP stresses the importance of securing nationality for all children, especially women and girls.

Source: https://www.refworld.org/reference/reports/unhcr/2025/en/149603

For those interested in working on these issues, join the Thematic Working Groups- Global Alliance to End Statelessness: https://statelessnessalliance.org/thematic-working-groups/