PROOF OF
Legal identity documentation that is recognized by a government as constituting proof
LEGAL IDENTITY of legal identity in accordance with national law. Proof of legal identity is fundamental
for ensuring that all people are able to access their rights, including the right to acquire
nationality, essential services, and other identity documents.
REFOULEMENT Returning people forcibly, involuntarily, or coercively to a country of origin, where
they may face risks to their life or freedom. Refoulement violates refugee law if it
involves returning a refugee or asylum seeker to territories where such threats relate
to their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political
opinion. Regional refugee law frameworks in Africa and the Americas offer broader
protection against refoulement.
RESULTS-BASED
Management of a program, project, or activity that allows for continuous feedback
MANAGEMENT and improvements through monitoring and evaluating progress towards stated
objectives.
“SMART”
Objectives (aims or goals) which are specific, measurable, achievable (realistic),
OBJECTIVES relevant, and time-bound. Adopting such objectives is considered a best practice in
organizational and project planning.
STATELESS,
A stateless person is someone who is not considered as a national by any state under
STATELESSNESS the operation of its law. Statelessness can refer to the condition of being a stateless
person and the existence of stateless persons in general.
STATELESS MIGRANT A person without any nationality who is outside his or her country of origin or
habitual residence and is not a stateless refugee.
SUSTAINABLE
The United Nations General Assembly adopted 17 SDGs in September 2015 as part
DEVELOPMENT
of its effort to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. They
GOALS (SDGs) outline specific targets to be achieved by 2030. Unlike the last set of global
development goals—the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—the SDGs draw
upon human rights and apply globally. Goal 16 covers access to justice for all, as
well as effective, accountable institutions, and 16.9 calls on states to ensure that
all individuals enjoy legal identity. For more information, see: http://www.un.org/
sustainabledevelopment/peace-justice/.
UNDETERMINED
Typically, a person of undetermined nationality lacks proof of possession of any
NATIONALITY nationality and either has links to more than one state (on the basis of birth, descent,
marriage, or habitual residence) or is perceived and treated by authorities in the state
of residence as possessing such links to other states. Situations of undetermined
nationality should be of short duration, as they often result in denial of human rights.
UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, whose mandate
includes identifying, preventing, and reducing statelessness as well as protecting
stateless persons.
UNICEF The United Nations Children’s Fund. As the UN agency mandated to protect and
uphold children’s rights globally, UNICEF is centrally involved in statelessness, legal
identity, and nationality-related issues, such as birth registration, civil registration and
documentation reform, and ensuring every child’s right to a nationality.
A C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D P R A C T I T I O N E R ’ S G U I D E : D O C U M E N T I N G C I T I Z E N S H I P A N D OT H E R F O R M S O F L E G A L I D E N T I T Y
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