EC/66/SC/CRP.11 B. Strengthened operational responses (a) Resolving the predicament of stateless people, in particular in largescale situations of statelessness 7. A central goal of the Global Action Plan is to resolve existing major statelessness situations. States have increasingly recognized the negative impact of statelessness on the enjoyment of a broad range of human rights, including the right to work, health, education, and the right to birth registration and identity documentation. These impacts are also of increasing concern from the perspectives of development and security. As a result, a growing number of States have taken steps to resolve protracted situations. According to available statistics, at least 84,300 stateless persons acquired or had their nationality confirmed in 2013 and 2014. Nonetheless, this is lower than the average annual reduction in statelessness in the past decade, highlighting the necessity for reinforced efforts in this area. 8. Recent developments in a number of countries point to the likelihood of a better performance in the coming years. For example, Côte d’Ivoire is on its way to resolve one of the largest statelessness situations in the world, including through an innovative amendment to its nationality law in 2013 which allows long-term residents in the country to acquire nationality through a simple declaration procedure. It also acceded to both of the statelessness conventions. In addition, regional initiatives, such as the February 2015 ECOWAS conference, are already facilitating greater cross-border cooperation, which is often a prerequisite for solutions. 9. To further assist States to reduce statelessness, UNHCR has used dedicated funding to support operational responses in six countries in Central and Southeast Asia. For example, building on progress made in previous years, since May 2014 UNHCR worked with the Government of Kyrgyzstan and an NGO partner to provide assistance to over 6,000 people to apply for Kyrgyz nationality. Thus far, more than 3,000 of these individuals have acquired or had their Kyrgyz nationality confirmed. UNHCR also worked with the governments of Philippines and Indonesia to resolve the nationality status of persons of Indonesian descent in Mindanao. In Thailand, a pilot project was launched to improve implementation of the citizenship law by increasing the Government’s capacity to process nationality applications by stateless people. In Malaysia, UNHCR supported a communitybased NGO to register and provide legal assistance to an affected minority to facilitate the acquisition of Malaysian nationality. 10. Some of the best examples of resolving statelessness thus far have been published in a Good Practices Paper on Resolving Existing Major Situations of Statelessness, which aims to provide inspiration to States and other stakeholders seeking to resolve large-scale situations of statelessness. 11. While progress is being made towards resolution of statelessness in many countries, in the Dominican Republic a Constitutional Court ruling in September 2013 arbitrarily deprived tens of thousands of people of their nationality. The majority was of Haitian descent and had lived in the Dominican Republic for generations. As they do not possess another nationality, they were rendered stateless. Subsequently, a special naturalization law was adopted to address the consequences of the ruling but has thus far had only limited impact. UNHCR is working with the authorities to ensure that the right of stateless individuals to remain in the Dominican Republic is respected and that they are not subject to expulsion. A judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights made clear that the automatic restoration of nationality, rather than a naturalization mechanism, is the most appropriate solution for the affected population. 4