“Count us in! Building a movement of change for stateless communities” core objective is to build a strong and sustainable movement in the Asia-Pacific region centered on the empowerment of stateless communities, leaders, and their supporters, to develop creative policy solutions, and to change the narrative and public knowledge utilizing stories, voices, and experiences. For millions of people affected by or at risk of statelessness across the Asia Pacific region their voice and identity are denied, often characterised as‘invisible’ to authorities and the local population, leading to high levels of exclusion, discrimination and persecution. Intersectional discrimination sees stateless women disproportionately impacted by these harms. Acknowledging the presence, talents and capacities of stateless leaders and communities to be a driving force in the development of solutions for stateless people is the purpose of our Count Us In project. It aims to bring people who are affected by statelessness or at risk of statelessness together with CSOs to raise awareness and promote solutions towards granting legal identity and access to inclusive services, ‘being counted in. Three key activities will be employed to achieve this objective: knowledge and capacity building, national and regional capacity and movement building, and public awareness and advocacy. Knowledge and capacity building Participatory research methods that put research subjects as the drivers of research agendas will be utilised to map the contexts and situations rights holders find themselves in, enabling people living with and at risk of statelessness, including women and youth to share their stories, express needs and explore solutions within a wider movement. The project will focus primarily on two national contexts, Indonesia and Cambodia, and work across the region to strengthen collaboration between stateless communities, national networks and CSOs. Linking and learning between rights holders and civil society underpin the project.

Therefore, research and mapping are essential to ensure that a holistic and comprehensive picture of statelessness nationally and regionally is formed. This will ensure the visibility and inclusion of stateless communities and allow for their active participation in the project at all levels. National and Regional Capacity and Movement Building The project will work with rights holder groups and CSOs in our target countries, holding online consultations and meetings to enhance mutual collaboration between groups to develop national action plans and strategies. We will undertake outreach to groups within target countries and across the region, aiming to facilitate and convene a regular dialogue between rights holders, national networks and CSOs to explore network and capacity building and strategic planning. Public Awareness and Advocacy The mapping undertaken in the first year will feed into developing, in collaboration with rightsholders, key messaging for public campaigns and advocacy. Innovative and creative art projects and public events involving stateless communities will work to humanise the issue of statelessness amongst the broader public. Good practices from across the region will inform and strengthen policy dialogues with governments and stakeholders at national and regional levels (e.g. National Human Rights Institutions, ASEAN, AICHR, ACWC) one evidence-based constructive solution to realize the rights of people affected by statelessness.