Pan African Parliament: Report on the Workshop on the Right to Nationality in Africa

Published: 9/Aug/2017
Source: Pan-African Parliament

Introduction:

On the 9th of August 2017, the PAP Committees on Justice & Human Rights and the Committee on Rules, Privileges & Discipline held a workshop on the Right to Nationality in collaboration with the South African Lawyers for Human Rights. The workshop received presentations from representative of the African Commission on Human & Peoples’ Rights and United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR).

Conclusion:

The Right to nationality is still not fully recognised in Africa despite the various charters and protocols that have been formulated to combat this issue. This is because the current legal framework does not allow individuals to effectively protect themselves in the exercise of their right to nationality. As the persons responsible for crafting their nations laws, Members should advocate for the elimination of statelessness and ensure that the rights of stateless persons are protected. Members must not only encourage their governments to adopt laws that conform to international standards, but they must also win the support of their constituents.

Download full official report of the workshop: PAP Right to Nationality Workshop Report 9 August 2017

The report was formally adopted at the October 2017 session of the PAP.

Themes: Acquisition of nationality, African standards, Statelessness
Regions: Pan Africa
Year: 2017