November has been a month of inspiring exchanges and collective drive. At a time when funding cuts are severely affecting work on statelessness across Europe, I have been truly humbled by the unwavering commitment from people affected by statelessness and those working in the sector.
After a powerful week in Berlin where we co-hosted a regional Statelessness & Innovation conference, we headed to Rome to join the PILnet Global Forum, which brought together legal professionals, civil society actors and advocates committed to advancing justice through pro bono collaboration.
PILnet is a global network for public interest lawyering that connects corporate lawyers with NGOs, helping strengthen civil society and the communities they serve by capitalising legal expertise. Its Global Forum is an annual event bringing together these actors to share ideas and build partnerships for impactful pro bono work, and this year it had over 400 participants and more than 40 sessions on various topics.
Across my interactions over the three days, a common thread was the sense of urgency, the need for stronger collaborations, and the belief that we can end the cycle of statelessness if we gather the necessary resources, partnerships and commitment to act.
Our pro bono journey
Before we dive into what happened in Rome and the fruits from it, a quick glance into how our pro bono journey started. Back in 2020, we brought together a group of law firms who were willing to support the development of our Statelessness Case Law Database, the first ever tool to specifically focus on jurisprudence addressing statelessness. Through the pro bono work and financial contributions of our partners, the database has significantly expanded as a pivotal reference resource to support litigation on statelessness and provides a basis for legal research and comparative analysis that are much needed to fill jurisprudential gaps. The database continues growing, as we seek to meet our Global Refugee Forum (GRF) pledge to have 600 summaries by 2027.
Strengthening collaborations to support our work
We have had an incredibly positive experience working alongside law firms to develop the database, and have been impressed by the quality and dedication of their work and what this has enabled. This is why we have been reflecting on how we can strengthen the collaborations we already have with law firms, as well as develop new partnerships that can support our wider litigation work.
We recognise that part of our fight to end statelessness must happen through the courts, and the judiciary has a responsibility to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of stateless people particularly at a time when the political landscape is volatile.
Since the database was launched, ENS has been able to draw on its content to produce a Litigation Toolkit on Statelessness, a series of legal briefings including the most recent on ‘The rights of stateless Palestinians in the UK’, and made third-party interventions before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) with a view to securing impactful precedents. We have also provided support for our members to litigate at national level with trainings, resources, and knowledge exchange opportunities.
However, given a lack of dedicated funding for our litigation activities, we rely on our partners in order for us to continue this work – which takes us to Rome.
The PILnet Global Forum
A couple of years ago we started discussing with our partner Akin Gump about how to develop further our shared vision of increasing pro bono work to address statelessness. We then broadened our ambition, consulted another partner Freshfields and the stateless-led Apatride Network, before deciding to together submit not one but two proposals for sessions on statelessness. We were delighted that both proposals were accepted, testament to PILnet’s own growing engagement and commitment on statelessness, which is also evident in their highly effective marshalling of their GRF Community Legal Pledge.
We designed the sessions purposefully, as we wanted to first raise awareness and then move to action. We also knew that any meaningful conversation about statelessness must centre lived experience, and invited experts to speak about the importance of involving stateless people in decisions that affect them.
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Statelessness 101: our first session introduced participants to the fundamentals on what statelessness is, why it matters, and how the law can be a tool for change. Through interactive exercises, attendees explored real-life scenarios to understand the challenges faced by stateless people and navigate the gaps in protection that persist across Europe. The discussion underscored a critical point: legal frameworks exist, but they are often poorly implemented. Participants left with a deeper understanding of statelessness and many stayed for the second session.
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Knowledge exchange lab on collaborative pro bono models to address statelessness: this session shifted the focus to collaboration. We explored existing pro bono models, such as the Statelessness Case Law Database, and brainstormed new ways law firms can contribute.
The interactive format of the sessions sparked creativity and the energy in the room was invigorating: law firms are eager to engage, provided we create opportunities that align with their expertise. We also had the opportunity to attend many other sessions on pro bono, which helped us reflect on how we would like to shape our future collaborations.
My key takeaways:
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Lived experience is non-negotiable, and projects must be shaped by those directly affected.
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Pro bono engagement has many colours. Resolving individual cases, providing communities with legal information, conducting legal research to support advocacy, supporting impact litigation, drafting case summaries, helping clients with addressing the consequences of statelessness, or contributing to more efficient ways of working are all areas where law firms can add immense value.
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Collaboration needs structure, with adequate support, training and supervision, clear roles, timelines, and impact visibility to sustain momentum. It also needs diversity, by offering varied ways for lawyers to get involved according to their interests and expertise.
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Maintaining transparency, opportunities for development, and a dynamic approach are essential aspects of promoting stronger and long-term partnerships between civil society organisations and law firms.
I’m deeply grateful to Steven Schulman (Akin Gump), David Oldfield (Freshfields), Aleksejs Ivashuk (Apatride Network), Shahd Qannam (Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion), and our Director Chris Nash for their insightful contributions to the panels on statelessness. And, of course, to PILnet for their receptiveness to helping make this issue more visible and to facilitate an effective space to harness and strengthen efforts to address it.
Looking ahead to new opportunities
Building on this momentum, we brought home ideas for new project collaborations, including:
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Expanding the Statelessness Case Law Database;
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Conducting impact litigation before the ECtHR or UN Treaty Bodies;
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Drafting thematic legal briefings on issues such as detention and naturalisation;
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Research projects on the rights of stateless Palestinians, climate and statelessness, children of LGBTIQ+ parents, and to monitor implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum;
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Innovative initiatives such as mentoring for stateless individuals or supporting with non-legal tasks to benefit from the expertise of other departments such as IT, translation, and knowledge management.
These projects offer law firms a chance to make a tangible impact, and they offer us the opportunity to dedicate more resources to addressing critical gaps. We look forward to speaking to our current partners and to the new connections we made in Rome to bring these ideas to life.
Statelessness is one of the most pressing yet overlooked human rights challenges of our time. As we move forward, let us harness the momentum from PILnet to build a world where no one is left without a nationality. If your firm or organisation is ready to collaborate, reach out to hear more about our projects and share ideas: patricia.cabral@statelessness.eu. Together, we can transform ideas into action!
