Parliamentarians unite to address statelessness and refugee protection at global assembly

The 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 5 to 9 April 2025. It brought together parliamentarians and humanitarian actors from around the world to address pressing global issues.

This year's thematic focus on Social Development and Justice intersects with humanitarian issues, providing an opportunity to discuss the critical challenges of forced displacement. The Assembly included dedicated events in which parliamentarians were urged to take action to eliminate statelessness and integrate refugee protection measures into national legislation.

Before October 2024, only Malaysian men could automatically confer citizenship on children born abroad, women did not have the same right. Adlyn Teoh's son, Reis, was not born in Malaysia and his father was not Malaysian. Adlyn Teoh spent nearly a decade campaigning to obtain Malaysian citizenship for Reis before joining a group of affected mothers. She spoke to the Assembly, sharing the devastating impact statelessness has had on her family.  Stateless children like Reis do not have the same rights to free education, healthcare and social services as Malaysian children. Malaysia's Parliamentarians voted in 2024 in favour of a bill allowing Malaysian women to pass their nationality to children born abroad, an essential step in eradicating statelessness. While the passing of this vote marks significant progress, Ms Teoh noted that the legislation still needs to be approved by the upper house but feels hopeful it will go through. If the law were applied retroactively, it would mean children born overseas before 2024 would receive nationality too.

UNHCR's Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2.0 aims to address existing cases of statelessness, prevent new instances, and identify and protect stateless populations. A key focus of the Global Action Plan remains eliminating gender discrimination from nationality laws, the impact of which was demonstrated by the experience of Adlyn Teoh and Reis. Twenty-four countries still ban or limit women from conferring their nationality on their children. Ms Teoh said she carried the weight of bureaucracy, of legal hurdles, of the heartbreak that came with being told that her child was somehow “less Malaysian” because of the circumstances of his birth. Marin Roman, Senior Statelessness Officer at UNHCR, briefed the Assembly on the Action Plan. He encouraged the parliamentarians to review and reform laws to align with international standards, prevent statelessness and promote legislative measures to safeguard the rights of stateless individuals, in line with the Multi-stakeholder Pledge on Ending Statelessness, launched at the Global Refugee Forum in 2023.

Another panel at the Assembly focused on Religion and Ethical Values where UNHCR’s Senior Advisor, Safak Pavey, described the important work of the Multi-Religious Council of Leaders, highlighting the crucial role that religious actors play, given their access and influence within their communities. Religious actors, she said, often remain long after funding for humanitarian aid has been exhausted. This creates trust and allows them to access vulnerable populations, deliver aid effectively, and build peace even in areas where other organizations might face challenges.

Ms Pavey also highlighted how the funding cuts in the humanitarian sector are putting millions of lives at risk. The consequences for people fleeing danger, she said, will be immediate and devastating.

The impact of conflict on children was highlighted in a session exploring better ways to protect the over 40% of forcibly displaced and stateless people who are children. Highlighting the lifelong, devastating impacts on children's lives and development, parliamentarians were urged to adopt and enforce robust laws that protect children from abuse, exploitation, and violence. This includes laws specifically designed to protect children in armed conflict.

Parliamentarians are vital in shaping a fair and effective refugee protection regime as they propose, debate, and pass laws directly impacting refugees and asylum seekers.

UNHCR’s participation in the IPU Assembly builds on the commitments of the IPU and other parliamentary bodies at the Global Refugee Forum in 2023. Regional and international parliaments submitted pledges in support of the GCR objectives, including efforts to end statelessness. Several other state pledges required parliamentary action and involvement.