In March 2025, Slovenia took an important step by formally acceding to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, following its public commitment to do so at the Global Refugee Forum in 2023. Slovenia is now the 82nd State party to the Convention.
Accession to the 1961 Convention represents a significant and welcome commitment to preventing and reducing statelessness in Slovenia. The Convention establishes key safeguards to avoid statelessness at birth and later in life, and provides the international legal framework for States to put in place effective measures to reduce statelessness on their territory. Slovenia’s action also sends an encouraging signal to other States in the region that have not yet acceded to the Convention.
It is now important that the Government builds on this commitment by enacting further national reforms to ensure it translates into meaningful efforts to address statelessness in practice. As the Index highlights, several key gaps remain in Slovenia’s domestic legal framework. For example, the safeguard in nationality law intended to prevent statelessness among children born in Slovenia currently depends on the nationality status of the parents rather than the child, meaning that some children may still not be protected. Strengthening and implementing robust safeguards for all children born in Slovenia, as well as addressing remaining obstacles to acquiring or confirming nationality, will be essential next steps.
Slovenia is already party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and to most other relevant international human rights treaties. However, it has yet to ratify the European Convention on Nationality and the European Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession. Accession to the 1961 Convention therefore provides an important foundation for further progress, but sustained legislative and policy reform will be needed to close existing gaps and ensure full alignment with international standards.
Photo by Hazmik Ghazaryan Olson on Unsplash.
