Climate change puts millions at risk of statelessness
Summary
Climate change is increasing the risk of statelessness by destroying identity documents, disrupting birth registration and creating legal gaps for displaced people. UNHCR and the University of Melbourne’s Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness have issued new global recommendations urging governments to protect nationality rights in climate-related displacement.
Key Points
- Climate-related disasters are putting nationality and legal identity at risk for millions of displaced people.
- UNHCR and the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness have released the first global recommendations linking climate change with statelessness.
- The report urges governments to improve data collection, birth registration, legal safeguards and cross-border arrangements to prevent statelessness.
- It also warns that rising sea levels and territory loss should not automatically strip people of their nationality.
