Nationality is a basic human right, yet today more than 11 million people worldwide live in the limbo of statelessness. Refugees International heads to Kuwait this week to assess the situation of stateless Bidoon and to evaluate government efforts to remedy this denial of basic human rights.

Bidoon, which is Arabic for “without,” refers to an estimated 70,000 to 120,000 individuals who live in the country without effective nationality. Due to their lack of citizenship, the Bidoon in Kuwait are denied access to education, formal employment, national health care, education and critical documents including birth, death and marriage certificates.

Despite recent efforts to naturalize limited numbers of Bidoon, the government of Kuwait has not yet initiated an effective registration campaign and continues to deny thousands of Bidoons the right to a nationality. RI will meet with stateless individuals, government representatives and other organizations to understand the scope of the problem and make recommendations to help reduce statelessness in Kuwait.