A Procedure for Determining the Status of Stateless Persons to be Established

The Ministry of Internal Affairs is proposing amendments to the laws on "Stateless Persons," "Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia," "Advocacy," and "Foreigners." If these drafts are adopted, it is expected that Armenia will adequately fulfill its international obligations, establish a procedure for determining the status of a stateless person, legislate the obligations, and guarantee the rights and freedoms of stateless individuals.

According to the newspaper "Fact," it is noted that the UN conventions on the status of stateless persons (September 28, 1954) and on the reduction of statelessness (August 30, 1961) have been in effect for Armenia since 1994. However, certain obligations undertaken by our country have not been properly fulfilled to date.

The state must establish a clear procedure for determining the status of a stateless person (SSP), but until now, no legislative act has established such a procedure. According to the 8th point of the Government's action program for 2021-2026, an individual measure aimed at continuously improving the legal status of stateless persons in Armenia in accordance with international standards is planned, specifically the adoption of the law on "Stateless Persons."

The draft states that in recent years, an increase in the number of stateless persons has been observed in Armenia. As a result, during the Global Refugee Forum in 2019, Armenia undertook commitments, particularly to investigate and identify the root causes that have led to a sharp increase in the number of stateless persons, outline the problems, the main challenges in the field, and present proposals for their resolution. Effective measures to revise legislation to establish necessary legal mechanisms and bases to reduce the number of SSPs and guarantee their rights have also been considered.

Two of the commitments have been fully implemented, and the preparation of the draft is aimed at realizing the third, which will include in a single legal act the process for determining the status of stateless persons, the functions of the authorized bodies dealing with stateless persons, and will establish their rights and obligations.