The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) is an independent non-profit organisation committed to ending statelessness and disenfranchisement through the promotion of human rights, participation and inclusion. The Institute believes in the value of research, education, network building, partnership and advocacy as means to achieving this objective and has a dedicated programme structured around five thematic priority areas. Forced displacement can be a cause and consequence of statelessness, but there is insufficient knowledge of the extent and impact of this phenomenon. Exploring and addressing the nexus between statelessness and forced displacement is therefore one of the thematic priority areas of the Institute. The Institute aims to increase understanding and develop tools to protect the stateless from forced migration (and who have already been displaced) and to protect the displaced from statelessness.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent, humanitarian, non-governmental organisation, which provides assistance, protection, and contributes to durable solutions for refugees and internally displaced people worldwide. NRC runs Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) programmes which aim at assisting displaced persons to claim their rights through the provision of information and legal support. NRC ICLA programmes are currently being implemented in 20 conflict-affected countries worldwide. ICLA programmes include a focus on legal identity, which involves promoting the right for all to be recognised before the law, the right to universal birth registration, and the right to a nationality. It also involves initiatives to prevent statelessness among those forcibly displaced. NRC works to prevent statelessness by supporting refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to access civil registration procedures, civil documentation (such as birth, marriage or death certificates), as well as national identity documents.
This project is part of the research agenda of the Knowledge Platform on Security & Rule of Law and funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs through NWO-WOTRO. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Ministry.