World

United Nations refugee commission launches campaign against statelessness affecting 'millions'

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees with a UNHCR report, during an interview with the Associated Press, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. The U.N. Refugee Agency has launched a 10-year campaign with the goal of eliminating the "stateless" status affecting millions of people throughout the world. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) (The Associated Press)

Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, during an interview with the Associated Press, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. The U.N. Refugee Agency has launched a 10-year campaign with the goal of eliminating the "stateless" status affecting millions of people throughout the world. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) (The Associated Press)

Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, during an interview with the Associated Press, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. The U.N. Refugee Agency has launched a 10-year campaign with the goal of eliminating the "stateless" status affecting millions of people throughout the world. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) (The Associated Press)

The U.N. Refugee Agency has launched a 10-year campaign with the goal of eliminating the "stateless" status affecting millions of people throughout the world.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the goal is achievable despite the chaos and conflict in parts of the world that has left an estimated 10 million people without proper legal documentation.

He described statelessness a "hidden" human rights tragedy.

Guterres said problems involved large numbers of stateless people in Myanmar, the Dominican Republic, the Ivory Coast, Thailand and Latvia are the most pressing.

He said 4 million stateless people have received nationality in recent years and that the problem can be solved if this momentum is increased.