Central Asian Statelessness Network Holds 8th Annual Meeting in Tashkent

From December 3–5, 2024, the Central Asian Statelessness Network (CANS) held its 8th Annual Meeting in Tashkent, supported by the UNHCR Regional Office for Central Asia. The event brought together network members, regional stakeholders, and partners to discuss and advance initiatives aimed at addressing statelessness in Central Asia.

The meeting was particularly significant due to the participation of representatives from Uzbekistan’s National Human Rights Centre and Ombudsman’s Office. Their involvement highlighted the country’s increased attention to the issue of statelessness and reflected significant progress made in this area in recent years.

This year’s CANS meeting coincided with the launch of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness. The alliance comprises over 100 states, civil society organizations, stateless persons’ associations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders. Officially launched by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on October 14, 2024, during the UNHCR Executive Committee session in Geneva, the alliance builds on the achievements of the #IBelong campaign. CANS became a full member of the alliance from its inception.

CANS is a small but ambitious initiative that, seven years ago, united organizations under a common goal: strengthening regional cooperation to eradicate statelessness. Its annual meetings provide a unique platform for sharing information, best practices, and achievements, as well as discussing current challenges and developing collaborative approaches. These meetings help reinforce partnerships, align goals, and plan for the future.

This year’s program featured presentations by partners from other regions, sharing best practices, as well as the development of joint strategies. Participants also explored a new partnership initiative by the European Network on Statelessness, funded by PRM, aimed at adapting European guidelines for identifying stateless persons to the needs of Central Asia. Additionally, discussions included the creation of a regional statelessness index, modeled on the platform index.statelessness.eu.

At the Tashkent meeting, two new members were welcomed into CANS:

• Maksut Narikbayev University (Kazakhstan) as an institutional member.
• Ms. Lola Ismailova, researcher and professor at Karakalpak State University (Uzbekistan), as an individual member.

The conclusion of UNHCR’s Global Campaign to End Statelessness was a key topic at the meeting, along with the region’s achievements in recent years. Central Asia continues to demonstrate its commitment to this goal, inspiring further progress and new milestones in the fight against statelessness.