CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS MUNICIPALITIES Short-term recommendations to protect stateless persons • Acknowledge the basic rights of stateless persons living under their jurisdiction and provide support in the quest of stateless people to acquire citizenship. • Support the role of mukhtars in mapping and following-up with stateless individuals in the vicinity of their towns and villages. • Lobby relevant central authorities to uphold the rights of the stateless. → Local authorities are the elected representatives who are closest to the ground and can relay the cause and quest of stateless persons to central institutions. MUKHTARS Short-term recommendations to protect stateless persons Maintain sharp knowledge about all rights and services that are accessible to stateless persons, and uphold their duties toward this community. • Introduce digital management tools to access relevant information regarding statelessness and interact with all relevant public institutions in their efforts to end and prevent statelessness. • Maintain a strong engagement with stateless persons in order to provide them with well-informed guidance. • Contribute to raising awareness among stateless communities, in particular among parents of nonregistered children, about the importance of birth registration. → Mukhtars are the reference point for most stateless persons in terms of accessing identification documents such as the ta’arif certificate, in addition to initiating citizenship claims. Yet, many continue to be ill-informed about the condition and rights of stateless persons. MINISTRY OF JUSTICE (MOJ) Short-term recommendations to settle current stateless cases • Provide thorough follow-up on pending cases within the judiciary system and instruct judicial courts to accelerate all ongoing proceedings. • Ensure legal aid is provided to all stateless individuals in the midst of their judicial proceedings. • Enact existing safeguards attached to the nationality law that ensure no child is born stateless. • Introduce internal guidelines on timeframes for related court cases and related fees, such as the clerk fees accompanying the plaintiffs ahead of DNA tests. © 2021 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.