A/HRC/RES/20/5
Political Rights, articles 7 and 8 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, articles 1 to 3
of the Convention on the Nationality of Married Women, article 9 of the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, article 18 of the Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Convention on the Reduction of
Statelessness and the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, as well as
relevant regional instruments,
Noting also general recommendation No. 30 of the Committee on the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination,
Recalling that persons arbitrarily deprived of nationality are protected by
international human rights and refugee law, as well as by instruments on statelessness,
including, with respect to State parties, the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless
Persons and the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the Protocol thereto,
Stressing that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and
interrelated and that the international community must treat human rights globally in a fair
and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis,
Recalling General Assembly resolution 66/133 of 19 December 2011, in which the
Assembly, inter alia, urged the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees to continue its work with regard to identifying stateless persons, preventing and
reducing statelessness and protecting stateless persons,
Mindful of the endorsement by the General Assembly, in its resolution 41/70 of
3 December 1986, of the call upon all States to promote human rights and fundamental
freedoms and to refrain from denying those to individuals in their populations because of
nationality, ethnicity, race, religion or language,
Recalling General Assembly resolutions on the issue of the nationality of natural
persons in relation to the succession of States, in particular resolutions 55/153 of 12
December 2000, 59/34 of 2 December 2004, 63/118 of 11 December 2008 and 66/92 of 9
December 2011, in which the Assembly invited States to take into account the provisions of
the articles on nationality of natural persons in relation to the succession of States prepared
by the International Law Commission in dealing with issues of nationality of natural
persons in relation to the succession of States,
Recognizing that the arbitrary deprivation of nationality disproportionately affects
persons belonging to minorities, and recalling the work done by the Independent Expert on
minority issues on the subject of the right to nationality,
Expressing its deep concern at the arbitrary deprivation of persons or groups of
persons of their nationality, especially on discriminatory grounds such as race, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or
other status,
Recalling that arbitrarily depriving a person of his or her nationality may lead to
statelessness and, in this regard, expressing concern at the various forms of discrimination
against stateless persons that may violate the obligations of States under international
human rights law,
Emphasizing that the human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons whose
nationality may be affected by State succession must be fully respected,
1.
Reaffirms that the right to a nationality of every human person is a
fundamental human right enshrined in, inter alia, the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights;
2