70 years on - The 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons

Note that the displayed event time is AEDT. The event will take place 9.00-10.30am CET.

The year 2024 marks the 70th anniversary (on 28 September) of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (1954 Convention). To commemorate this occasion, and with a view to encouraging more States to accede to and implement the provisions of the 1954 Convention (and its counterpart, the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness), UNHCR together with the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness (PMCS) are proud to present this webinar featuring panelists drawn from Governments, International Organisations, academia, civil society, and those affected by statelessness. The webinar will focus on the history, evolution and continuing relevance of the 1954 Convention to support the identification and protection of stateless persons.

Mr. Patrick Eba, Deputy Director of the Division of International Protection at UNHCR, will provide introductory remarks and moderate the panel discussion.

This event is co-hosted by UNHCR and the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness.

About the speakers:

• Mr. Patrick Eba, Deputy Director of the Division of International Protection at UNHCR

Patrick Eba was appointed as Deputy Director of the Division of International Protection at UNHCR in Geneva in 2021. In this role, he is responsible for the legal and policy work of the organization for refugees and stateless persons. Mr. Eba has worked as expert on health law and policy with academic and parliamentary institutions in South Africa, Malawi, Senegal and with UN entities. He later joined UNAIDS where, among other responsibilities, he led the organization’s global legal and human rights work with the judiciary and parliamentary institutions. He served for 10 years as Expert member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. From 2018 to 2021, Mr. EBA was the UNAIDS Country Director in the Central African Republic. Mr. Eba holds a PhD in Law (College of Law and Management Studies, UKZN, South Africa), an LLM in Human Rights and Democratization from the University of Pretoria (South Africa), a master’s in international Humanitarian Action from the University of Aix-en-Provence (France) and the University of Deusto (Spain).

• Mr. Alberto Barcenilla, Representative of the Asylum Office of Spain in charge of statelessness

Head of Statelessness Service at the Spanish Office of Asylum and Refuge, for the past three years he has been part of the team that manages the administrative procedure for recognizing statelessness status. With UNHCR, he has conducted various training activities and provided advisory support to national authorities for the implementation of the statelessness determination procedure in Spain.

• Ms. Nosizi Dube, an advocate for stateless communities in Kenya, first Shona woman to graduate from university, and formerly stateless individual

Nosizi Dube is an advocate for stateless communities in Kenya, with over four years of experience working with marginalized groups to promote inclusion and access to legal documentation. She is passionate about sustainable community development, gender equality, and human rights, with a focus on ensuring that stateless individuals are not left behind, especially during Kenya’s transition to digital IDs. Nosizi holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Nairobi and is the first Shona woman in Kenya to achieve this milestone. She is also a graduate of the Aspire Leadership Program at Harvard University and is currently on attachment with the Emerging Leaders Foundation Africa.

• Ms. Betsy Fisher, a U.S.-based immigration lawyer and policy expert, a pro bono advocacy lead at United Stateless and a lecturer in international refugee law at Michigan Law.

Ms. Betsy Fisher is a U.S.-based immigration lawyer and policy expert. She is the pro bono advocacy lead at United Stateless, a national organization led by stateless people whose mission is to build and inspire community among those affected by statelessness, and to advocate for their human rights. She is a lecturer in international refugee law at Michigan Law. She has published about the international law of statelessness, including compiling and publishing the 1954 Convention's travaux. She is also the U.S. Director of Talent Beyond Boundaries and the former Director Strategy at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). In those roles, she has advocated for legal protection and immigration pathways for displaced people.

• Professor Hélène Lambert, Director of the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness

Hélène Lambert recently joined the Peter McMullin Centre as its new Director. An eminent legal expert in the areas of asylum, refugees, migration, statelessness and issues of nationality, Hélène has acted as a consultant for the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the Council of Europe, and the European Commission on numerous occasions. Her latest book, 'International Refugee Law and the Protection of Stateless Persons' (OUP 2019) was co-authored with former Centre Director Michelle Foster. Hélène's current research focuses on treaties on statelessness and human rights in the Asia-Pacific.

• Hon. Commissioner Selma Sassi Safer, Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrant in Africa, ACHPR

Ms. Selma Sassi Safer is Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrant in Africa, ACHPR. She holds a PhD in international law and international relations from Jean Moulin University, Lyon 3, France. She is a Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Alger 1, Algeria, where she teaches courses on public international law, international human rights law, international institutions, and law of the sea. She is also an Associate Lecturer at the Higher Judicial Institute, Algeria and member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (since October 2023).