UNHCR, APRIL 2023 REFUGEES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION As UNHCR notes, “Host countries sometimes adopt an incremental approach to local integration by granting permits to stay that gradually lead to a wider range of rights and entitlements over time.” 140 Thus, in some protracted refugee situations, a form of permanent residence status has been provided to refugees as a step towards eventual naturalisation (if that is desired). This has been the approach in Zambia, for example, among Member States of the ICGLR. 141 There are no established standards in international or regional law on the provision of permanent residence status to refugees or others. However, the obligation to end statelessness requires that an interim status should be transitional, and in particular that children born in the territory should not inherit such a status but should rather have the right to acquire the nationality of that country if they do not acquire the nationality of either parent (see next heading). Acquisition of nationality by refugees The Dar es Salaam Declaration of the ICGLR committed states to adopt a common approach for the ratification and implementation of the UN Conventions on Statelessness, and to harmonise related national laws and standards. 142 In 2017, ICGLR Member States strengthened these commitments by adopting a Declaration and Regional Action Plan on the Eradication of Statelessness. 143 The Declaration and Plan of Action commit ICGLR Member States to ratification of the UN conventions on statelessness, reform of nationality laws to bring them into line with international standards on nationality and statelessness, adoption of national action plans to end statelessness, and nomination of government focal points on statelessness. Facilitated naturalisation The 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees provides that states parties “shall as far as possible facilitate the assimilation and naturalisation of refugees”, by such measures as expediting proceedings and reducing the costs of naturalisation (Article 34); a similar clause is included in the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (Article 32). The 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa requires countries of asylum to use their best endeavours to “secure the settlement” of refugees who are unable to return home (Article II.1). The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted a recommendation that provides more detail on what facilitated naturalisation may require in the European context, including relaxation of conditions and fees in certain circumstances. 144 Only a minority of African states provide for facilitated naturalisation for refugees in law. However, there have been a number of recent efforts to provide naturalisation for very long-term refugees and migrants, 140 UNHCR’s 10-Point Plan of Action on Refugee Protection and Mixed Movements, Chapter 7: ‘Solutions for Refugees’, p.186. 141 For details, see ‘Strategic Framework for the Local Integration of Former Refugees in Zambia’, Ministry of Home Affairs, Republic of Zambia, January 2014 https://solutionsalliance.org/system/files/resources/STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK-FOR-THE-LOCAL-INTEGRATION-OF-FORMER-REFUGEES-IN-ZAMBIA.pdf; ‘Field evaluation of local integration of former refugees in Zambia’, U.S. Department of State, April 2014 https://20092017.state.gov/documents/organization/235057.pdf. 142 Dar-es-Salaam Declaration on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in the Great Lakes Region, ICGLR, adopted by the First Summit of Heads of State and Government, Dar -es-Salaam, 19-20 November 2004, paragraph 68, available at: http://www.icglr.org/images/Dar_Es_Salaam_Declaration_on_Peace_Security_Democracy_and_Development.pdf 143 Declaration on the Eradication of Statelessness, adopted by Ministers of Foreign Affairs of ICGLR Member States, June 2017, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/59e9cb8c4.html; Consolidated Action Plan of the ICGLR on the Eradication of Statelessness 2017-2024, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/60e70b3f4.html. 144 Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Recommendation No.R(99)18 on the avoidance and redu ction of statelessness, 15 September 1999. 51