Name : Fito Alrifat Ghufran

Country : Norway
Council : United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Topic : Grants Citizenship for Stateless Persons

According to UNHCR, Stateless person means a person who is not considered as national by any
state under the operation of its law. Statelessness can be caused by numerous factors, it can
caused from nationality laws or conflicts of nationality laws. The two principal legal frameworks
nationality rules are jus sanguis (citizenship by descent) and jus soli (citizenship by territory).
Statelessness can also occur later in life, Some legal systems provide for mechanisms of
automatic loss of nationality, For example a long absence from the territory can make a person
stateless. Withdrawal of nationality if there is no safeguard place to prevent stateless, Dissolution
and separation of states like dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Social Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia. The consequences of statelessness may experience difficulty in many daily life
aspect, like a birth certificate and personal identification documents. Without such documents,
they have a problem enjoying basic rights, including healthcare, education, labor market,
traveling abroad, owning a land/property, open a bank account, inherit wealth, and getting
married. Often stateless person do not enjoy basic human right protection.

According to Statistics Norway (2003-2015), total of 6400 stateless persons migrate to Norway.
Most of the persons from Syria and Palestine stateless persons are refugee or family members of
refugees. Only 4 percent of stateless persons immigrate for other reasons, such as education and
work. Norway facilitate access to citizenship for stateless persons by easing the required
conditions, also if the child is recognized as a refugee an Aliens passport will be issued, the
length of stay for a refugee 3 years, that what makes a stateless persons mostly have become
Norwegian citizen. Stateless persons over 18 years old can apply for Norwegian citizenship if
they have resided in the realm for the last three years and have a residence permit of at least 3
years duration and authorize as lawful. Children can also apply, but they must have lived in the
country for the preceding two years. Those who do not qualify remain in legal limbo, unable to
normalize their status. However, Norwegian legislation have several weakness that is there is no
stateless definition according to Norwegian legislation, Norway has no special procedures for
determining stateless and there is no recognized status providing for the rights of stateless
persons. Norway has some activites in addressing statelessness, they already did the
identification which is proven from the Norway Statistic to see how many stateless person in
Norway, prevention which is proven from the EMN Inform, reduction which is proven from
Nationality Act 2015 and protection but the protection activities is still weak because some
legislation.
Understanding the problem that occur about the issue of statelessness, Norway proposes 3 main
solutions, which are:

1. Reducing time to obtain citizenship. Three years is a long time to take care of it. Enough with
one year and bring a clear letter and interview why choosing Norway to be your country of
choice. Because everyone, there must be a reason and busyness.

2. Make an identity card for under 18 years of age so that it is easier for identification. The
identification card is used in social matters such as health certificates, education, making visas
and passports, etc. If there is no identification how they do it all. For example if you want to go
abroad but do not have clear citizenship. Nationality should be given at birth. If when they are
adults they want to transfer their citizenship, it is their right not the state's right anymore.

3. Protect human rights to citizens who stateless. Citizens without citizenship will feel fear for its
existence in the country. So the government must be extra extra in handling this case. As the
population census is carried out more clearly so that they get a sense of comfortable living.
Someone is deemed to exist de facto and de jure, so there is no reason they continue to be
citizens without citizenship