ISI has partnered with UNICEF to produce this six-part podcast series, ‘What’s Best for Children’s Nationality’, to build knowledge around childhood statelessness and the right of every child to a nationality by exploring good practices in the field with examples, challenges and successes from real-life settings.
A child without a nationality can struggle to obtain a birth certificate, access schooling, see a doctor and participate fully in society. To be stateless is to be an outsider, even in your own country, which can also have a severe impact on a child’s mental well-being and sense of self-worth. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) affirms the right of every child to a nationality precisely because it is a critical enabler for other child rights and integral element of a child’s identity. Yet it is a right that has historically received relatively little attention, as compared to other child rights, in part because the phenomenon of childhood statelessness is often invisible and/or poorly understood. This is now changing as the international community steps up its efforts to address statelessness globally, with a strong focus on children and this podcast series explores some of the lessons learned so far.