A/HRC/RES/20/4
article 5 (d)(iii) of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination,
Noting also the provisions of international and regional human rights and other
instruments that specify the obligations of States parties to register every child immediately
after birth, inter alia, article 24, paragraph 2, of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the role that
birth registration plays in preventing statelessness,
Bearing in mind the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and the
Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons,
Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 7/10 of 27 March 2008, 10/13 of 26
March 2009 and 13/2 of 24 March 2010, as well as resolutions 12/6 and 12/17 of 1 October
2009 and 19/9 of 22 March 2012,
Emphasizing that the prevention and reduction of statelessness are primarily the
responsibility of States, in appropriate cooperation with the international community,
Recalling General Assembly resolution 66/133 of 19 December 2011, in which the
Assembly 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,
Welcoming the increased efforts of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees to prevent and reduce statelessness among women and children
and, where necessary, to provide protection for stateless women and children,
Welcoming also the intergovernmental event held at the ministerial level of States
Members of the United Nations on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the fiftieth anniversary of the Convention
on the Reduction of Statelessness, in particular the pledges made by States,
Taking into consideration the fact that all persons, particularly women and children,
without nationality or without birth registration are vulnerable to trafficking in persons and
other abuses and violations of their human rights,
1.
Reaffirms that the right to a nationality is a universal human right enshrined
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and that every man, woman and child has
the right to a nationality;
2.
Recognizes that it is up to each State to determine by law who its nationals
are, provided that such determination is consistent with its obligations under international
law;
3.
Calls upon all States to adopt and implement nationality legislation consistent
with their obligations under international law with a view to prevent and reduce
statelessness among women and children;
4.
Encourages States to facilitate, in accordance with their national law, the
acquisition of nationality by children born on their territories or to their nationals abroad
who would otherwise be stateless;
5.
Urges all States to refrain from enacting or maintaining discriminatory
nationality legislation, with a view to avoid statelessness, in particular among women and
children;
6.
Urges States to reform nationality laws that discriminate against women by
granting equal rights to men and women to confer nationality to their children and
regarding the acquisition, change or retention of their nationality;
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