On 27 April, Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (bicc) and European Network on Statelessness (ENS) co-convened an online workshop on “The Nexus between Return and Statelessness in Western Balkan countries”.
We heard from a range of speakers who highlighted how statelessness issues are often neglected in returns processes. In example shared, Roma children and adults were sent from other European countries to the Western Balkans without legal identity or proof of citizenship and faced multiple rights violations in the process.
Over the course of the workshop, 40 participants – including representatives from civil society, international organisations, state institutions, and legal experts – exchanged on how to address the issue of statelessness in the context of return, readmission, and reintegration, sharing experiences and recommendations.
The event took place in the framework of the bicc project Return and Belonging after Conflict-induced Displacement, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
For further information, please contact Ruth Vollmer at ruth.vollmer@bicc.de or Nina Murray at nina.murray@statelessness.eu
