registration at birth for all children within the jurisdiction of states. He further emphasized the urgency of the matter and, therefore, the need for states to take necessary measures to combat statelessness as a matter of priority. Ms. Anastasia Crickley. International Association for Community Development, commended the courage, commitment and contribution of women from minority communities in addressing key global issues, including statelessness by which they are affected. Addressing statelessness can be within the capacity of international community, including through addressing gender equality in nationality laws. She summarized the presentations made by the panelists, emphasizing the need to address the discrimination against minority communities, and the need to take measures without further delay. She mentioned that states should ratify international human rights instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against women, as well as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, since racial discrimination is a key issue to be addressed in combating statelessness and should be viewed together with the rights of the child and gender equality. She further highlighted the importance of participation of women and children in the process. Anastasia Crickley further pointed out that women and children who are stateless do have rights now, and she emphasized the need for these rights to be articulated and protected. Discussion The following points were raised under agenda item V: - The need to ratify all international legal instruments addressing the issue of statelessness and nationality rights, with a particular emphasis to the importance of ratification of and withdrawal of all reservations from the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and Convention on the Rights of the Child. - The need for advancement of gender equality in nationality laws and ensuring that women are granted the same rights and possibilities to confer their nationality to their children without any discrimination in law or in practice. - The need for the recognition of multiple and intersecting disadvantages faced by minority women and children affected by statelessness. - The importance of inclusion of minority women and children in decision-making processes affecting them and their nationality. VI. Concluding remarks The Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Dr. Fernand de Varennes, reiterated the call to raise the visibility and awareness of statelessness as a minority issue by looking into prevention of statelessness from a more holistic point of view that is fully cognisant of how this often is underpinned by exclusionary and discriminatory causes. He attached great importance to 13