History made as stateless person granted Nauruan citizenship under innovative new program

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Sept. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A stateless person has become a Nauruan citizen under an innovative citizenship program that helps fund economic and climate resilience.

The Kuwaiti national's citizenship granted through Nauru's Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program highlights the advantages the scheme offers to countless other stateless people around the world.

The program's offering includes a politically neutral alternative passport for an applicant and their family, along with the chance to contribute to climate crisis solutions in the South Pacific.

CEO Edward Clark said the Kuwaiti national was granted citizenship following an in-depth due diligence process involving financial intelligence units, police, and third-party checks.

He said there was a common misconception that all who are stateless have no documentation or had done something wrong but this was not correct.

“We would not approve someone unless we could verify who they are, their history and other required information, and this person was able to demonstrate his eligibility with strong documentary proof, despite his status.

“He is a highly successful and motivated individual, who through no fault of his own is stateless,” he said.

Mr Clark said there are many individuals worldwide who encounter comparable challenges in that their statelessness is due to circumstances beyond their control, and “many of them would be ideally suited for our program.”

“While many people who apply for citizenship through the program may be seeking a second passport that can provide a valuable safety net in times of global instability, for stateless people it can provide mobility and security they've never before experienced.”

The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion has estimated there are at least 15 million stateless people globally.

According to Aleksejs Ivashuk, the founder of advocacy group Apatride Network, migration by investment programs “will benefit the stateless individuals who can open more realistic pathways out of statelessness…(and) benefit the host countries that run these programmes.”

Mr Ivashuk added that a program offering a pathway to citizenship for stateless people “means freedom to have education, employment, political rights, healthcare, freedom of movement, and many other basic human rights.”

The Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program welcomed its first new citizens in early August, with many more now approved or under review.

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