The Risk of Statelessness and Humanitarian Exclusion: Legal and Structural Barriers for Non-Syrian Refugees in Jordan

Abstract

This thesis examines how Jordan’s humanitarian aid framework systematically excludes non-Syrian refugees – particularly Iraqi, Yemeni, Sudanese and Somali communities, whilst overlooking the cases and risks of statelessness within these groups. Understanding statelessness in its de jure and de facto forms, the research highlights the absence of legal identity as a neglected factor contributing to heightened vulnerability for members of these displaced communities. The study adopts an interdisciplinary approach combining critical legal and policy analysis with qualitative fieldwork in Amman between March and August 2025. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with refugees, NGOs, government ministers, legal experts and humanitarian practitioners, supplemented by secondary sources, including academic studies, legal frameworks, NGO reports, and humanitarian policy documents. The research employs thematic and discourse analysis to interrogate how humanitarian and governmental narratives construct hierarchies of vulnerability, and how nationality-based policies reinforce exclusion. Findings demonstrate that humanitarian aid in Jordan remains disproportionately Syrian-focused, with stateless non-Syrian refugees rendered invisible in programming and donor priorities alike. In displacement contexts, these stateless refugees face a lack of accountability from their origin and host countries. Children born to these refugees and asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable to the risk of statelessness. Statelessness compounds barriers to documentation, protection, and socio-economic participation, creating intergenerational cycles of marginalisation. This thesis argues that stateless individuals should be incorporated into the One Refugee Approach and general humanitarian aid frameworks. It calls for a deliberate reshaping of humanitarian responses to recognise statelessness as a distinct vulnerability, addressing its risks alongside ongoing advocacy for states to fulfil their obligations to grant nationality. Ultimately, it contends that statelessness requires a comprehensive human rights and child rights-based approach to prevent exclusion from being perpetuated across generations.