A/HRC/14/43/Add.3 C. Stateless persons 44. The situation of stateless persons or “Bidoons”, as they are commonly called in the United Arab Emirates, was raised in previous interactions between the Government and United Nations bodies and mechanisms. It was also often raised by the Special Rapporteur’s interlocutors throughout his visit, thereby indicating that this issue continues to raise significant human rights concerns. 45. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur noted that the definition of the term “Bidoons” seemed to vary according to his interlocutors. Indeed, while “Bidoons” was sometimes referred to as a generic term including all persons without identification documents, it was also used in a narrower sense to only refer to persons who had been residing on the territory of the United Arab Emirates before independence in 1971 but had never obtained proper identification documents since then. Some interlocutors also used the term “Bidoons” to refer to people who had arrived after 1971 from neighbouring countries without identification documents during the Islamic revolution in Iran or the Iran-Iraq war. Following meetings held with “Bidoons” living in the United Arab Emirates, the Special Rapporteur understood that the term “Bidoons” actually includes Arabic-speaking individuals without recognized identification documents who have a genuine feeling of belonging to the United Arab Emirates, either because they were born on its territory before or after 1971, or because they had been raised on its soil and had no feeling of belonging to any other country. 46. Although his official interlocutors seemed to suggest that “Bidoons” do not carry any proper identification documents with them, the Special Rapporteur would like to emphasize that the “Bidoons” he met during his mission are actually in possession of passports. These passports, which clearly indicate that the concerned individuals were born on the territory of the United Arab Emirates, were issued by one of the seven Emirates, before the Federation was formed in 1971. These passports had been renewed by local authorities — each Emirate could reportedly still issue national passports until 2003 — a number of times following the independence in 1971. However, at some point, the authorities ceased doing so, thereby leaving these individuals in a vulnerable status of statelessness. 47. In the first years following independence in 1971, the situation of “Bidoons” seemed relatively unproblematic. It has however become a matter of great concern since the Emirati nationals have found themselves to be a minority in their own country and that the granting of citizenship has become a sensitive issue due to the privileges attached thereto.11 Indeed, the Special Rapporteur was informed that due to their statelessness, “Bidoons” suffer significant discrimination with regard to, inter alia, access to health, education and social services, employment, administrative procedures, as well as the administration of justice. The level of socio-economic discrimination seems however to vary significantly according to the Emirate in which the “Bidoons” reside. 48. The Special Rapporteur was for instance informed of a case where a stateless pregnant woman was refused entry into a public hospital, due to the fact that she did not possess a valid health card. Whereas health cards delivered to “Bidoons” used to be valid for four years and could be renewed without too much difficulty, their validity has now been reduced to one year only and the authorities sometimes allegedly refuse to renew them. Another case which was reported relates to the refusal by a public school to accept a 11 GE.10-12576 Emirati citizens are entitled to free land, free education, free health care, subsidized food and gasoline, no-interest home loans for married Emirati male citizens, as well as up to US$ 19,000 for their wedding costs. 13