or may be transmitted through a means of communication that they do not have access to. Governments also often have only limited data on stateless populations and may therefore overlook these groups. Information will aid the effectiveness of instructions issued by governments and increase the access of stateless persons to healthcare and other services. Recommendations § § § In line with the recent statement made by the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, stateless populations and those at risk of statelessness should be included in information campaigns related to COVID-19, with consideration given to location, language and channel of communication preferences. Dedicated outreach efforts by relevant authorities may be necessary in this regard. Any temporary changes in policy that affect stateless populations should be communicated to these populations. These may include, for example, policies with respect to healthcare services and statelessness determination procedures. The circulation of misinformation should be monitored and corrected. Trusted community members can play a leading role in this effort. Suspension of issuance of civil documentation Some countries have temporarily suspended the issuance of civil and identity documentation, including birth registration, to all persons. In other countries, certain specific services have been suspended, such as birth registration inside or outside of hospitals, or mobile birth registration campaigns. Furthermore, consulates may suspend registration services and the issuance of identity documentation, thereby affecting the confirmation of nationality and/or the extension of validity of identification documents of persons abroad. Where civil documentation is not issued or lapses, the risks are likely to be highest for minority group members to (re)establish their nationality in the absence of documentation proving place of birth and descent. Recommendations (drawing on those issued by the UN Legal Identity Agenda Task Force) § Birth and death registration services should be considered an ‘essential service’ and should continue to operate, with temporary modifications in operational arrangements as necessary and appropriate. These modifications may include: § expanded eligibility regarding who can notify civil registrars of births and deaths, particularly outside of health facilities; § establishing special processes/waivers for persons who may not have the documents that are required for registration to ensure that everyone has the necessary documents to access services (e.g., healthcare services); § balancing access to registration with the need to ensure that evidence used for registration is robust enough to avoid duplication and/or inaccurate records – trust in certificates issued by civil registration authorities must continue during and after the pandemic; § remotely confirming details provided by health notifications with family members or health care providers so that the validation step can be done either at the hospital or by phone as a follow up using contact details collected at the hospital; § suspending fees for registration if charged so as to reduce unnecessary physical contact (noting that the UN guidance is that registration of births and deaths in the first instance should be free); UNHCR / May 2020 3