Azizbek Ashurov, Executive Director of Ferghana Valley Lawyers Without Borders (FVLWB) and Coordinator of the Central Asian Network on Statelessness (CANS), represented CANS at the 75th session of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Executive Committee in Geneva on 14 October 2024. This year’s session, dedicated to addressing the world’s most pressing displacement and humanitarian issues, opened with a “High-Level Segment on Statelessness.”

In his remarks to over 100 international government delegations and more than 50 organizations, Azizbek Ashurov underscored CANS’s achievements, highlighting its advocacy efforts and partnership with UNHCR. “The Central Asian Network on Statelessness has successfully strengthened advocacy efforts by uniting civil society and academia in Central Asia and becoming a trusted partner of UNHCR. Our top priority is to amplify the voices of stateless communities, ensuring those with lived experiences are central to decision-making processes,” he said.

A pivotal moment of the session was the official launch of a new Global Alliance to End Statelessness by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. Bringing together over 100 states, civil society groups, stateless-led organizations, and academic institutions, the Alliance is committed to tackling the severe injustices endured by millions denied a nationality.

Reaffirming CANS’s commitment, Ashurov expressed optimism about the Alliance’s potential.

“We see the Global Alliance as a crucial platform for collaboration, learning, and driving legal reforms to end statelessness. Through global cooperation and collective action, we believe the Global Alliance can accelerate transformative change and help eradicate statelessness once and for all,” he affirmed.

Learn more about Global Alliance to End Statelessness – https://statelessnessalliance.org/