The place where we are born and the citizenship we receive is not our choice. Citizenship creates a legal tie between an individual and a state. It is one of the strongest predictors of how anyone’s life will unfold. It can function as a key or as a lock, opening the door to safety, freedom and international mobility, or confining people within the borders of a state that provides none of these. Depending on one’s citizenship and location, rights and opportunities are distributed unequally across the world. Yet, the principle that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights is widely affirmed. This gap between local reality and universal aspiration is a constant source of tension.
