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[Insert statement of urgency and significance for why this right relates to AI.]
Sectors #
The contributors of the AI & Human Rights Index have identified the following sectors as responsible for both using AI to protect and advance this human right.
- GOV: Government and Public Sector
- INTL: International Organizations and Relations
- LAW: Legal and Law Enforcement
- REG: Regulatory and Oversight Bodies
- TECH: Technology and IT
AI’s Potential Violations #
[Insert 300- to 500-word analysis of how AI could violate this human right.]
AI’s Potential Benefits #
[Insert 300- to 500-word analysis of how AI could advance this human right.]
Human Rights Instruments #
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) #
G.A. Res. 217 (III) A, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, U.N. Doc. A/RES/217(III) (Dec. 10, 1948)
Article 15
1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Convention on the Nationality of Married Women (1957) #
G.A. Res. 1040 (XI), Convention on the Nationality of Married Women, U.N. Doc. A/RES/1040 (Jan. 29, 1957)
Article 1
Each Contracting State agrees that neither the celebration nor the dissolution of a marriage between one of its nationals and an alien, nor the change of nationality by the husband during marriage, shall automatically affect the nationality of the wife.
Article 2
Each Contracting State agrees that neither the voluntary acquisition of the nationality of another State nor the renunciation of its nationality by one of its nationals shall prevent the retention of its nationality by the wife of such national.
Article 3
1. Each Contracting State agrees that the alien wife of one of its nationals may, at her request, acquire the nationality of her husband through specially privileged naturalization procedures; the grant of such nationality may be subject to such limitations as may be imposed in the interests of national Security or public policy.
2. Each Contracting State agrees that the present Convention shall not be construed as affecting any legislation or judicial practice by which the alien wife of one of its nationals may, at her request, acquire her husband’s nationality as a matter of right.
Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) #
G.A. Res. 1386 (XIV), Declaration of the Rights of the Child, U.N. Doc. A/RES/1386(XIV) (Nov. 20, 1959)
Principle 3
The child shall be entiteld from birth to a name and a nationality.
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965) #
G.A. Res. 2106 (XX), International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, U.N. Doc. A/RES/2106(XX) (Dec. 21, 1965)
Article 5
In compliance with the fundamental obligations laid down in article 2 of this Convention, States Parties undertake to prohibit and to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race, colour, or national or ethnic origin, to Equality before the law, notably in the enjoyment of the following rights…
(d) Other civil rights, in particular…
(iii) The right to nationality…
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) #
G.A. Res. 2200A (XXI), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (Dec. 16, 1966)
Article 24
3. Every child has the right to acquire a nationality.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) #
G.A. Res. 34/180, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, U.N. Doc. A/RES/34/180 (Dec. 18, 1979)
Article 9
1. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality. They shall ensure in particular that neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the nationality of the husband.
2. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children.
Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) #
G.A. Res. 44/25, Convention on the Rights of the Child, U.N. Doc. A/RES/44/25 (Nov. 20, 1989)
Article 7
2. States Parties shall ensure the implementation of these rights in accordance with their national law and their obligations under the relevant international instruments in this field, in particular where the child would otherwise be stateless.
1. The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality, and, as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) #
G.A. Res. 61/106, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, U.N. Doc. A/RES/61/106 (Dec. 13, 2006)
Article 18
Liberty of movement and nationality
1. States Parties shall recognize the rights of persons with disabilities to liberty of movement, to Freedom to choose their residence and to a nationality, on an equal basis with others, including by ensuring that persons with disabilities:
(a) Have the right to acquire and change a nationality and are not deprived of their nationality arbitrarily or on the basis of disability;
(b) Are not deprived, on the basis of disability, of their ability to obtain, possess and utilize documentation of their nationality or other documentation of identification, or to utilize relevant processes such as immigration proceedings, that may be needed to facilitate exercise of the right to liberty of movement;
2. Children with disabilities shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and, as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by their parents.
Last Updated: October 17, 2025
Research Assistants: Laiba Mehmood, Aarianna Aughtry, Amisha Rastogi
Contributor: To Be Determined
Reviewer: Laiba Mehmood
Editor: Caitlin Corrigan
Subject: Human Right
Edition: Edition 1.0 Research
Recommended Citation: "VI.C. Right to a Nationality, Edition 1.0 Research." In AI & Human Rights Index, edited by Nathan C. Walker, Dirk Brand, Caitlin Corrigan, Georgina Curto Rex, Alexander Kriebitz, John Maldonado, Kanshukan Rajaratnam, and Tanya de Villiers-Botha. New York: All Tech is Human; Camden, NJ: AI Ethics Lab at Rutgers University, 2025. Accessed December 13, 2025. https://aiethicslab.rutgers.edu/Docs/vi-c-nationality/.