WCC consultation on stateless people

According to UNHCR more than 12 million people are stateless, and not considered a national by any government. To advocate for their rights, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) is holding a consultation with focus on stateless people in Asia.

The consultation will take place from 16-19 December 2012 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, hosted by the National Council of Churches in Bangladesh.

The event comes as a step forward in strengthening ecumenical advocacy for the rights of stateless people, as year 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the United Nation’s Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

The consultation is part of CCIA’s new advocacy initiative on rights of the stateless people, which will be addressed by a CCIA working group.

The consultation, with its diverse participants will evolve ecumenical advocacy strategies that encourage states that have not acceded to the UN Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

The discussions at the consultation will focus on Asia, given the stateless people are largely concentrated in countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

The participants will also visit camps and special zones, where stateless people are forced to live due to government imposed restrictions. Reports on visits will also be presented at the consultations with the assistance of experts working with the stateless people.

Reflections of ethical, legal and theological bases of human rights and dignity of stateless people are also part of the programme agenda.