Beyond international law: The role of multinational corporations in reducing the number of stateless children

Despite the proliferation of international law designed to eradicate statelessness, the United Nations estimates there are approximately 12 million stateless individuals worldwide, many of which are the children of migrant workers employed in industries connected with multinational corporations. Over the past few decades, corporate governance codes and corporate social responsibility standards have reoriented to consider a broader range of stakeholders. Against this background, multinational corporations have significant opportunities to raise awareness of the issue of statelessness in the societies in which they operate, to ensure their policies and procedures (and those of their supply chains) minimise the factors that contribute to statelessness, and to assist their employees and those within their supply chains in avoiding statelessness. This paper will explore how multinational corporations may help further the goals of international law seeking to eradicate statelessness while simultaneously developing more sustainable practices toward their employees, local communities, and other stakeholders.