UNHCR's I Belong campaign given honorable mention; recipient recounts decades of statelessness

UNHCR's I Belong campaign, which aims to end statelessness, received an honorable mention at the UN SDG Action Awards ceremony in Rome. The recognition was introduced as a special UN family mention and presented onstage by Isabella Santini.

Kiara Cardoletti of UNHCR spoke about the campaign's role in galvanizing governments and communities to act to end statelessness. Maha Mamo, who was highlighted as someone who had experienced statelessness, recounted being denied basic rights and the long effort to obtain nationality. "I was Isabella's age when I was denied the chance to join my national sports team. That's when I discovered I had no papers, no nationality, and no country I belonged to," Mamo said onstage. She described statelessness as "a cage" that deprived people of education, health care and freedom of movement and said she was stateless for 30 years before acquiring Brazilian nationality.

Mamo credited UNHCR staff and campaign partners by name and urged continued action, saying the campaign altered laws and helped many people acquire a nationality. "Change is real, hope is powerful, belonging is a human right," she said. The ceremony also included comments from Isabella Santini, who presented the award on behalf of last year's honoree and emphasized the importance of children learning about collective action.

UNHCR's I Belong campaign has been cited onstage as an effort that helped shift global attention to statelessness and to produce legal and administrative solutions for people lacking nationality.