The SEAP website has been curated upon four years of research undertaken by NFA focused specifically on statelessness in Asia Pacific. The data for this website has primarily been taken from the Statelessness Encyclopaedia Asia Pacific (SEAP) Report, which covers all 5 subregions of Asia Pacific namely, Central Asia, East Asia, the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. The report also includes a detailed analysis of 45 countries in Asia Pacific on four elements: Laws, Population, Causes of Statelessness, and Stakeholders.
The website has been created with the aim of knowledge creation in Asia Pacific, and includes not just information analysing law and practice in Asia Pacific, but also includes all submissions to UN bodies undertaken by NFA to date, provides links to relevant news sources, and has a database of 66 stakeholders. It offers not only a repository of data but also functions as a hub for fostering collaboration and advocacy efforts. It provides a platform for stakeholders, including NGOs, policymakers, academics, and impacted communities, to connect, share insights, and mobilize collective action towards addressing the root causes of statelessness and advancing the rights and protection of stateless individuals in the region.
The SEAP website is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, with navigational features that facilitate easy exploration and retrieval of information. Users can navigate seamlessly between different sections of the website, accessing relevant reports, datasets, and resources with ease. The website shall be updated biannually, to have the most up-to-date information that reflects the latest developments in the region.
The idea of a resource specific to Asia Pacific has been inspired by the Statelessness Index, created by European Network on Statelessness, which is a database that looks into European countries’ law, policy, and practice on the protection of stateless people and the prevention and reduction of statelessness, against international norms and good practice.
A Comprehensive Regional Database on Statelessness
The necessity for a regional database becomes evident when considering the significant lack of reliable data and statistics on statelessness within the Asia Pacific region. While undertaking research, we realised that while Asia Pacific hosts the largest population of stateless individuals in the world, the subsequent lack of reliable data and statistics noticed throughout the region are staggering. The information included in this database has undergone rigorous fact-checking, either through available sources or consultation with regional stakeholders, ensuring its reliability.
As the sole regional organization dedicated to addressing statelessness in the Asia-Pacific, our aim is to further invest in knowledge-building initiatives through the creation of this database. Named the Statelessness in the Asia-Pacific (SEAP) database, it is intended to serve as a foundational resource for stakeholders across the region. By providing a centralized platform for information and research, we aspire to facilitate collaborative efforts and empower other stakeholders to utilize this resource in their endeavors to address statelessness within the region.
