{"id":40381,"date":"2024-05-01T15:46:35","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T15:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/?p=40381"},"modified":"2024-08-05T08:38:21","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T08:38:21","slug":"unhcr-campaign-to-end-statelessness-update-oct-dec-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/unhcr-campaign-to-end-statelessness-update-oct-dec-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"UNHCR Campaign to End Statelessness Update Oct \u2013 Dec 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Selected extracts relevant to Africa:<\/p>\n

Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n

The<\/span><\/span> Republic of Congo<\/span><\/span> officially joined the 1954<\/span><\/span> and 1961 Statelessness Conventions, fulfilling<\/span><\/span> a commitment made at the 2019 High-Level<\/span><\/span> Segment on Statelessness.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sao Tome and Principe<\/span><\/span>\u2019s President signed a<\/span><\/span> decree for the country\u2019s accession to the two<\/span><\/span> statelessness conventions, fulfilling an ExCom<\/span><\/span> commitment made in October 2023.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Implementation of the<\/span><\/span> Global Action Plan <\/span><\/span>to End Statelessness<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Action 2: Ensure that no child is born stateless<\/span><\/span><\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Niger<\/span><\/span>, from 26 September to 7 October, in<\/span><\/span> Niamey Region, the Ministry of Justice and<\/span><\/span> UNHCR organized a workshop to exchange of<\/span><\/span> best practices among judges, civil status officers,<\/span><\/span> and child protection actors on providing children<\/span><\/span> without parental references access to civil status<\/span><\/span> and nationality documents. This workshop was a crucial step towards fulfilling Niger\u2019s pledges made<\/span> at the 2019 High-Level Segment on Statelessness,<\/span> particularly the pledge to grant nationality to<\/span> foundlings and stateless children born in Niger. The<\/span> workshop recommendations will aid in effectively<\/span> implementing this pledge.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Action 6: Grant protection status to stateless <\/span>migrants and facilitate their naturalization<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Mali<\/span><\/span>, the authorities have granted a favorable<\/span><\/span> decision regarding the application for naturalization<\/span><\/span> of 63 children from protracted\u00a0 Mauritanian refugees<\/span><\/span> at risk of statelessness. This brings the total number<\/span><\/span> of naturalized people among the group since 2017<\/span><\/span> to 2,705. Most of them (2,377) are descendants of<\/span><\/span> protracted Mauritanian refugees born in Mali, and<\/span><\/span> 328 Mauritanian adults were naturalized before the<\/span><\/span> suspension of the naturalization process for adults<\/span><\/span> in 2018.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Action 7: Ensure birth registration for the<\/span><\/span> prevention of statelessness<\/span><\/span><\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Algeria<\/span><\/span>, from October to December, UNHCR<\/span><\/span> capitalized on the verification exercise (primarily<\/span><\/span> targeting Syrians, Yemenis, and Palestinians).<\/span><\/span> During this period, large sensitization sessions were<\/span><\/span> organized that emphasized the critical significance<\/span><\/span> of birth registration and birth certificates.<\/span><\/span> Approximately 500 individuals, predominantly<\/span><\/span> women and girls, participated in these sessions.<\/span><\/span> Additionally, birth registration leaflets were<\/span><\/span> systematically distributed during registration<\/span><\/span> processes, reception days, and through health<\/span><\/span> partners. Notably, several individuals were identified<\/span><\/span> and referred for legal aid to address late birth <\/span><\/span>registration or correction of birth certificates.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Burkina Faso<\/span><\/span>, in October, UNHCR assisted in<\/span><\/span> establishing 20 secondary civil registration centers<\/span><\/span> across the Centre-East and South-West\u00a0 regions. This<\/span><\/span> initiative aimed to streamline the birth registration<\/span><\/span> process and facilitate the issuance of birth certificates,<\/span><\/span> particularly in areas with a significant number of IDPs.<\/span><\/span> From September to December, with UNHCR\u2019s support,<\/span><\/span> the General Directorate for the Modernization of Civil<\/span><\/span> Status issued 15,449 birth certificates in nine crisis-<\/span><\/span>affected regions, benefiting 4,635 members of the host<\/span><\/span> population and 10,814 IDPs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Central African Republic<\/span><\/span>, from 2 to 17 November,<\/span><\/span> a joint mission by UNHCR and the National<\/span><\/span> Committee for the Fight against Statelessness <\/span><\/span>visited several sub-prefectures to enhance the<\/span><\/span> capacities of 109 local authority representatives to<\/span><\/span> address statelessness, which affects nearly a quarter<\/span><\/span> of the population due to lack of documentation. The<\/span><\/span> mission also sought to understand barriers to free<\/span><\/span> birth registration and explore solutions. UNHCR<\/span><\/span> facilitated the issuance of 689 birth certificates to<\/span><\/span> refugee returnees and supported civil registration<\/span><\/span> centers, in line with article 18 of Law No. 20.016,<\/span><\/span> which encourages birth registration and prevents<\/span><\/span> statelessness.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Chad<\/span><\/span>\u2019s pledge at the HLS in 2019 to \u201cimprove<\/span><\/span> access to birth registration procedures, including<\/span><\/span> late birth registration, by 2024 to ensure\u00a0 universal<\/span><\/span> birth registration\u201d, during 2023, the National<\/span><\/span> Agency for Secure Documents (ANATS), UNHCR\u2019s<\/span><\/span> statelessness partner, issued a total of 42,945 birth<\/span><\/span> certificates to refugees, IDPs, and host community<\/span><\/span> children through mobile courts across the country.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Liberia<\/span><\/span>, on 4 November, a multistakeholder<\/span><\/span> coalition in Brewerville commemorated the 9th<\/span><\/span> Anniversary of the #IBelong Campaign to End <\/span><\/span>Statelessness with the community in the Vox of<\/span><\/span> Africa area. The event, which focused on birth<\/span><\/span> registration, resulted in over 200 children from<\/span><\/span> the community being registered and issued<\/span><\/span> birth certificates by the Ministry of Health\u2019s Birth<\/span><\/span> Certificate team. This effort supplements the 8,000<\/span><\/span> birth certificates already issued by the coalition in<\/span><\/span> Montserrado and Margibi counties, with a goal to<\/span><\/span> process 10,000 birth certificates by the end of 2023.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Malawi<\/span><\/span>, from 24 to 25 October, UNHCR, in<\/span><\/span> collaboration with various ministries, the police,<\/span><\/span> immigration, the National Registration Bureau,<\/span><\/span> UNICEF, and NGOs, conducted a two-day workshop.<\/span><\/span> The aim was to develop Standard Operating<\/span><\/span> Procedures (SOPs) for the birth registration of<\/span><\/span> vulnerable children, including those abandoned,<\/span><\/span> orphaned, refugees, street children, or others at<\/span><\/span> risk of exclusion and statelessness. These SOPs will<\/span><\/span> contribute to the ongoing revision of the National<\/span><\/span> Registration Act.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Rwanda<\/span><\/span>, UNHCR, the Government of Rwanda,<\/span><\/span> and Prison Fellowship Rwanda have intensified<\/span><\/span> efforts to address the backlog of late birth <\/span><\/span>registrations among protracted refugees. Stemming<\/span><\/span> from the Rwandan government\u2019s pledges on civil<\/span><\/span> registration at the GRF and the High-Level Segment<\/span><\/span> on Statelessness, have significantly increased<\/span><\/span> the birth registration rate for refugees born in the<\/span><\/span> country, from 74% at the end of 2022 to 93% by the<\/span><\/span> end of 2023. Birth registration now occurs directly<\/span><\/span> at health facilities through a digital Civil Registration<\/span><\/span> and Vital Statistics system. The coverage of birth<\/span><\/span> registration among refugee children under 5 has<\/span><\/span> surged from 84% to 96% over the same period. All<\/span><\/span> newborn refugees across all five camps had their<\/span><\/span> births officially registered in 2023. In Nyabiheke<\/span><\/span> Camp, which hosts over 12,400 Congolese refugees,<\/span><\/span>40% of its current population was born in Rwanda.<\/span><\/span> Through the efforts of Prison Fellowship Rwanda,<\/span><\/span> all 4,954 refugees residing in Nyabiheke now hold<\/span><\/span> certified birth registrations.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> South Africa<\/span><\/span>, from 14 to 15 November, UNHCR<\/span><\/span> organized a workshop with key government officials,<\/span><\/span> including Refugee Commissioners, and local NGOs<\/span><\/span> from the Kingdoms of<\/span><\/span> Eswatini<\/span><\/span> and<\/span><\/span> Lesotho<\/span><\/span>, aiming<\/span><\/span> to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)<\/span><\/span> for registering the births of vulnerable children and<\/span><\/span> determining citizenship. Once adopted, these SOPs <\/span><\/span>will enhance birth registration practices.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Action 8: Issue nationality documentation to<\/span><\/span> those with entitlement to it<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Burkina Faso<\/span><\/span>, UNHCR\u2019s technical and financial<\/span><\/span> assistance in the Boucle du Mouhoun, Centre-Est,<\/span><\/span> Est, Sud-Ouest, Centre-Nord, and Nord regions<\/span><\/span> enabled the issuance of 8,841 national identity<\/span><\/span> cards\u20142,652 for host community members and<\/span><\/span> 6,189 to IDPs. Similarly, in the Boucle du Mouhoun,<\/span><\/span> Est, Sud-Ouest, and Centre-Nord regions, 546<\/span><\/span> nationality certificates were issued, 382 to IDPs and<\/span><\/span> 164 to members of the host population.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Chad<\/span><\/span>, on 26 October 2023, at Kokolom IDP sites<\/span><\/span> in the Bol region, 946 IDPs received their National<\/span><\/span> Identity Cards for the first time. This brings the total<\/span><\/span> number of ID cards issued to IDPs to 19,514 since<\/span><\/span> the launch of the Project Partnership Agreement<\/span><\/span> between UNHCR and the National Agency for<\/span><\/span> Secure Documents (ANATS) in June 2021.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Mauritania<\/span><\/span>, the Government launched an<\/span><\/span> enrolment exercise, through which nearly half a<\/span><\/span> million individuals have been registered, including<\/span><\/span> those at risk of statelessness, using streamlined<\/span><\/span> and efficient procedures. Good practices include<\/span><\/span> reducing evidentiary requirements and conducting<\/span><\/span> mobile missions to isolated areas. UNHCR, in<\/span><\/span> collaboration with its legal partner El Insaniya,<\/span><\/span> actively engages with affected communities<\/span><\/span> and other stakeholders. Support encompasses<\/span><\/span> awareness campaigns and direct assistance to those <\/span><\/span>seeking enrolment.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Mozambique<\/span><\/span>, from October to November,<\/span><\/span> authorities, supported by UNHCR and the Catholic<\/span><\/span>University of Mozambique, documented 6,364 <\/span><\/span>individuals in Cabo-Delgado and Zamb\u00e9zia. Through<\/span><\/span> this exercise, authorities issued birth certificates<\/span><\/span> to 1,627 children and national IDs to 4,737 adults.<\/span><\/span> Additionally, national IDs were reissued to 4,715<\/span><\/span> victims of cyclone Freddy 2 and 1,649 individuals<\/span><\/span> displaced by violence in northern Cabo-Delgado.<\/span><\/span> UNHCR conducts daily sensitization activities<\/span><\/span> on human rights, civil documentation, and<\/span><\/span> statelessness risks, targeting both those seeking<\/span><\/span> civil documentation and community members.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Niger<\/span><\/span>, UNHCR has intensified its advocacy<\/span><\/span> with civil status authorities under the Ministry of<\/span><\/span> Interior and Justice. The aim is to identify students,<\/span><\/span> including IDPs in examination classes, and secure<\/span><\/span> their Nigerien nationality certificates. These students<\/span><\/span> had previously benefited from birth declaratory<\/span><\/span> judgments during mobile court sessions held<\/span><\/span> in Tahoua, Maradi, Diffa, Tillab\u00e9ry, and Niamey.<\/span><\/span> This initiative ensures that the most vulnerable<\/span><\/span> students have access to nationality documents,<\/span><\/span> thereby enabling them to fully exercise their right to<\/span><\/span> education,\u00a0 including participation in examinations.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Zambia<\/span><\/span>, in October, the Zambian Civil Liberties<\/span><\/span> Union and other civil society organizations proposed<\/span><\/span> a bill to Parliament aimed at\u00a0 harmonizing the<\/span><\/span> Citizenship Act No. 33 of 2016 with the Constitution.<\/span><\/span> Presented to Parliament on November 1, the bill<\/span><\/span> seeks to grant citizenship to individuals, including<\/span><\/span> refugees, who have resided in Zambia for 10 years.<\/span><\/span> It aims to align the Citizenship Act\u2019s definition of <\/span><\/span>\u201cordinarily resident\u201d with the Constitution, bypassing<\/span><\/span> the current requirement of a resident permit issued<\/span><\/span> under the Immigration and Deportation Act, which is<\/span><\/span> a barrier to citizenship for some groups.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Action 9: Accede to the UN Statelessness <\/span><\/span>Conventions<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The<\/span><\/span> Republic of Congo<\/span><\/span>, in October, officially<\/span><\/span> acceded to the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness<\/span><\/span> Conventions. This act fulfilled a pledge made at the<\/span><\/span> 2019 HLS on Statelessness in Geneva.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Sao Tome<\/span><\/span> and Principe, on 8 December, the<\/span><\/span> President signed a decree marking the country\u2019s<\/span><\/span> accession to the two statelessness Conventions, <\/span><\/span>fulfilling a commitment made during the ExCom<\/span><\/span> in October 2023. The instruments of accession<\/span><\/span> for these conventions are being deposited at the<\/span><\/span> UN Treaty Office. The conventions will come into<\/span><\/span> force in the country ninety days after the deposit,<\/span><\/span> in accordance with Article 18, paragraph 2 of the<\/span><\/span> Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, and<\/span><\/span> Article 39, paragraph 2 of the Convention relating to<\/span><\/span> the Status of Stateless Persons.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Action 10: Improve quantitative and qualitative<\/span><\/span> data on stateless populations<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The UNHCR<\/span><\/span> Regional Bureau for West and<\/span><\/span> Central Africa<\/span><\/span> completed a study on the risks<\/span><\/span> of statelessness in the region, which aimed to <\/span><\/span>foster a common understanding of the concept<\/span><\/span> of persons at risk of statelessness, establishing<\/span><\/span> criteria for defining such individuals and profiling<\/span><\/span> different groups facing statelessness risks. The<\/span><\/span> key findings provide concrete elements for further<\/span><\/span> exploration and prioritization at the country level.<\/span><\/span> This multistakeholder approach aims to impact<\/span><\/span> statelessness prevention activities, including<\/span><\/span> advocacy, resource mobilization, identification and<\/span><\/span> documentation of high-risk individuals, awareness<\/span><\/span> raising, and alignment with the objectives of the<\/span><\/span> #IBelong campaign.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> Kenya<\/span><\/span>, from 6 to 11 November and from 17<\/span><\/span> November to 1 December, UNHCR organized a<\/span><\/span> collaborative mission involving the Government <\/span><\/span>Statelessness Focal Point from the Immigration<\/span><\/span> Department, and NGO partners, including the<\/span><\/span> Haki Center Organization and the Kenya Human<\/span><\/span> Rights Commission. The objective was to initiate<\/span><\/span> the mapping process for two distinct communities:<\/span><\/span> the Rundi stateless community in Kwale and Taita Taveta, and the Rwandan community in Kericho,<\/span> Bomet, and Sotik. The mission primarily focused on<\/span> data collection to create a community self-register,<\/span> thereby enhancing quantitative data related to the<\/span> stateless population for evidence-based advocacy.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Download update: https:\/\/www.refworld.org\/reference\/news\/unhcr\/2024\/en\/147927<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Selected extracts relevant to Africa: Highlights The Republic of Congo officially joined the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions, fulfilling a commitment made at the 2019 High-Level Segment on Statelessness. Sao Tome and Principe\u2019s President signed a decree for the country\u2019s accession to the two statelessness conventions, fulfilling an ExCom commitment made in October 2023. Implementation […]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","region-algeria","region-burkina-faso","region-central-african-republic","region-chad","region-international","region-kenya","region-malawi","region-mali","region-mauritania","region-mozambique","region-niger","region-nigeria","region-republic-of-congo","region-sao-tome-and-principe","region-south-africa","region-zambia","type-intergovernmental-bodies","type-reports","item-year-691","item-theme-acquisition-by-children","item-theme-birth-registration","item-theme-id-documents-and-passports","item-theme-international-standards","item-theme-nationality-and-refugees","item-theme-naturalisation-and-marriage","item-theme-statelessness"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40381"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40395,"href":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40381\/revisions\/40395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}