CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

Proposal for Resolution No 12 /XII

The Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted

on December 10, 1948, by the General Assembly of the United Nations, stated the

principle that all human beings, without distinction, should enjoy the rights and

fundamental freedoms.

The Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons translates the concern of the United Nations

to the stateless persons, by assuring them, as far as possible, the exercise of rights and

fundamental freedoms through the granting, in each State Party in the same, of a

regime equal to that assigned to foreigners in general.

To the present date, only to the stateless persons, who are also refugees, are guaranteed such

rights and freedoms, as they are covered by the Convention on the

Status of the Refugees, July 28, 1951, There are many stateless persons who are not

covered by such Convention.

The purpose of this Convention is, precisely, to extend to stateless persons the rights and

fundamental freedoms already established in the Convention on the Status of

Refugees, to which the Portuguese Republic joined in 1961.

Thus:

Under the terms of the paragraph d) of Article 197 (1) of the Constitution, the Government presents to the

Assembly of the Republic the following motion for a resolution:

CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

Article 1.

Approval

Approve, for accession, the Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons, adopted in New

York, on September 28, 1954, the text of which, in the authenticated version in the English language, well

as the respective translation for Portuguese language, if published in annex.

Article 2.

Reservation

By acceding to the Convention, the Portuguese Republic formulates the following reservation:

In accordance with Article 38 (1) of the Convention, the Portuguese Republic declares that in

all cases in which the stateless persons are given the most favourable treatment accorded to the

nationals of a foreign country, this clause will not be interpreted in a manner

understanding the scheme granted to nationals of Brazil, to nationals of the countries of the

European Union or the nationals of other countries with which Portugal has established

or may come to establish community relations, specifically of states of language

Portuguese.

Seen and approved in Council of Ministers of December 7, 2011

The Prime Minister

The Minister of State and Foreign Affairs

The Deputy Minister and Parliamentary Affairs