CIAO DATE: 12/2014
October 2014
Centre for International Governance Innovation
On December 29, 2013, the journalists Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed were arbitrarily arrested and detained in Cairo, Egypt. This case brings to light the complex web of obligations and transnational legalities regarding dual citizenship, which come to the fore during times of conflict. Characterized by an absence of global governance, dual citizenship occupies a grey area in the international arena, as no international conventions directly apply to this citizenship status. The authors of this Junior Fellows policy brief state that increasing access to dual citizenship will have positive impacts on economic prosperity, increase social cohesion and bridge existing policy gaps. They maintain that states should improve coordination and integration of citizenship law through bilateral protection agreements, which will improve citizenship rights for all diaspora groups. The brief concludes that the United Nations should play a greater role in facilitating and promoting the global governance of dual citizenship, particularly by enshrining the principles that guarantee access to dual citizenship as a human right.
Resource link: Dual Citizenship: Reducing Governance and Protection Gaps [PDF] - 1.3M