Topic: Rights of Stateless Persons
Country: Colombia
Delegate Name: Samuel Brunnemer
School: Fishers High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Colombia position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
The republic of Colombia chooses to acknowledge the basic human rights granted to stateless persons, seeing fit that all inhabitants of the state regardless of nationality or lack thereof exist under the protection of certain unalienable rights. These rights include, but are not limited to, the right to education, the right to employment, and the right to housing. Colombia admonishes legal discrimination against stateless people in any court charges. The republic sees fit that stateless persons receive the same treatment as that of any other alien. The people of Colombia, however, do not seek the eradication of the stateless status due to instability still present in regions where refugee programs are put in place to secure the lives of thousands. Colombia stands as the largest source of Latin American refugees in Latin America due to the threat that the FARC and ELN guerrillas have placed upon the populace in zones of conflict. Forced displacement of these violent guerrilla and paramilitary groups has been necessary in order to preserve the peace and established order. Peace and order would be incapable of maintenance were the republic to relinquish its ability to render certain persons stateless.
Although not ratified, the republic of Colombia chose to add its signature to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons along with 89 other parties, which advocates for minimal rights required to be granted to stateless persons. Some of these rights include the right to education, employment, housing, and marriage. The 1954 Convention also emphasizes that discrimination is not to be employed against stateless persons in legal settings, who are to be treated as equals on the same plane as other alien persons. Colombia chooses not to ratify the 1961 Convention on the reduction of Statelessness due to clear and present dangers that threaten the security of the population and the restrictions that the proposed solution would place on the alleviation of the issues faced. This convention proposes that statelessness cannot be assigned to citizens unless a new nationality is set in replacement. In combating the FARC and ELN guerrillas, it is imperative that refuge be sought for those entangled in conflict, and such an implementation would make finding refuge for those in need a more complicated process. While the republic of Colombia calls for the fair and just treatment of stateless persons, it feels that the stability of certain regions must be achieved before implementing restrictions on the assignment of a stateless status.
Colombia proposes that basic human rights and just execution of law be provided for stateless persons. Colombia also seeks to push stable countries to open up to refugees that are the result of unstable conditions in regions including the Middle East and Colombia rather than seeking to restrict refugee programs through implementation of new regulations to prevent statelessness. The republic seeks to achieve this by further promoting and developing the liberties to be granted to stateless persons proposed in the 1954 Convention and pushing for a program which can alleviate the concerns that arise from the stateless status while ensuring that refugee programs are not impeded upon and retain opportunity to expand.
Works Cited
"The World Factbook: COLOMBIA." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
"UN Conventions on Statelessness." UNHCR News. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
"Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
"Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
"FARC." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
"Colombian Refugees: No Solutions in Sight." United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.
