Date: 21/08/2020
A statement by the Southern African Nationality Network (SANN) to the 16th Southern African Civil Society Forum.
Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of Africans are stateless and do not have access to a nationality and the rights connected with it. Statelessness – although described as one of the world’s most forgotten human rights problem – is not a new problem. Stateless persons have always been considered “invisible” as they do not exist on paper and are forced to live on the fringes of society. They are vulnerable to discrimination and unequal treatment, and are often denied the enjoyment of fundamental rights such as access to education, housing, employment, social welfare and healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic has now exposed the devastating consequences of statelessness and poses a new threat to stateless persons who are at risk of being left behind in the fight against the coronavirus.
States across the region are faced with the insurmountable challenge of protecting public health on the one hand, while averting starvation and warding off economic disaster on the other. However, it has become increasingly evident that majority of states are advocating for a “citizens first” approach in response to the pandemic. This is to the exclusion of already marginalised and vulnerable populations such as refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and undocumented or stateless persons. It must be noted that exclusion in the face of a global pandemic cannot benefit anyone. The most effective way to fight the pandemic is to ensure that everyone, regardless of their nationality or legal status is included in the response.
To ensure the protection and inclusion of stateless people in state COVID-19 responses, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees has issued guidance on policy and good practices that we urge SADC member states to adopt. These recommendations include:
The Southern African Nationality Network remains committed to advancing universal access to the right to a nationality and the eradication of statelessness in Southern Africa. In accordance with our motto – “Freedom in Belonging” – we recognise that without belonging concretised by formal nationality, African individuals and communities can never be free. Not only does nationality ensure access to human dignity and basic human rights for the individual, it fosters the belonging which is necessary for the creation of a prosperous and peaceful society.
In the 16th Declaration of the Southern African Civil Society Forum, we therefore call upon all SADC member states to address statelessness in their territories by:
For more information, contact:
Thandeka Chauke: thandekac@lhr.org.za
Tshegofatso Mothapo: tshego@lhr.org.za
For more information on SANN visit our website: http://sann.africa/
