Recommendations RECOMMENDATIONS The recommendations below are designed to encourage good practices to prevent or remedy childhood statelessness. Governments 1. Accede to and implement relevant international treaties relating to statelessness and the right to a nationality, including the 1954 and 1961 Conventions and the CRC. 2. Facilitate access to birth registration and access to nationality, for example through removing documentation and lawful stay requirements, waiving fees, and introducing or improving flexibility in birth registration procedures. 3. Adopt effective measures to eliminate discrimination of any kind in nationality and birth registration policies and practices. 4. Raise awareness and build capacity on the right to nationality and the risks of statelessness among civil registry staff, registry offices, medical staff, police officers, social workers, local authorities, NGOs and others working with affected populations. 5. Ensure the adequate provision of independent legal advice that is accessible to all stateless people (including those who have no legal status or identity documents); many stateless people need access to legal aid in order to prove their identity and/ or entitlement to recognition as a stateless person or nationality. 6. Adopt effective measures to protect, facilitate and promote the rights of children while they remain stateless, including, for example, access to education, health care, freedom from arbitrary detention, appropriate support to ensure an adequate standard of living and consideration of best interests. 7. Allocate adequate funding to ensure effective, accessible measures to prevent or remedy statelessness, for example, to fund staff for birth registration and nationality determination; regular training for officials; robust monitoring and evaluation; specialist legal advice; community outreach and awareness-raising; anti-discrimination 68