The Human Right to Citizenship

This important work is the first study on an individual’s right to citizenship. It addresses questions such as: Have the rules of international law, emanating from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created a means by which individuals can achieve citizenship? Do States have clear guidelines to follow that will ensure persons attain citizenship? Indeed, is such a framework practical, and if so, what principles will dictate its implementation? The author defines citizenship, reviews and analyses the various sources of international law which deal with the issue of citizenship and reaches the conclusion that international law, at this stage of its development, does not vest every person with the right to citizenship. The book endeavours to establish the standards for vesting citizenship, in the hope that applying these standards will result in every person being granted citizenship of the State which is the centre of his/her life. The author considers the connection between loyalty to the State and citizenship; the principles which should shape the concept of loyalty to the State; the dilemma of multiple citizenship and the right to citizenship in the light of current political changes.