The receipt of the applications started for the second Regional competition on the topic of the statelessness (CANS) for high schoolers and students “Importance of the 1961Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness”. It is held by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Central Asia in partnership with Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi and Central Asian network on statelessness.

This year it is marked 60 since adoption of the 1961Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. On the occasion of this date UNHCR invites the young people who is interested in the international relations, international law and human rights, to share their essays and research works on importance of the Convention and its actuality at present.

The high schoolers of 7-11 forms of the secondary schools and the students of the higher educational institutions from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan can take part in it.

The high schoolers should present their essay “The history of creation of the 1961Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and how it assists to solve problem of statelessness?”, and students – the research work on the topic related to citizenship and statelessness, their causes and consequences and innovative solution for the optimization of reduction and prevention of statelessness, defence of apatrides.

The competition works must be in English or Russian. Deadline for works - 22 October, 2021.

The participants must fill in the relevant form and send it together with their work to: kazalres@unhcr.org specifying the theme: “2021Regional competition of works on statelessness”.

The names of winners will be published in site of UNHCR on Central Asia, and in sites of partners.

It should be noted, that recently the President of Turkmenistan signed a Decree on reception into the citizenship,  in accordance with it, a group of people, permanently residing in the territory of Turkmenistan, and who has no citizenship, will be granted citizenship of Turkmenistan.

Ayjahan Ataballyyeva