SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: CENTRAL ASIA SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: CENTRAL ASIA TABLE 6 TABLE 7 Status of Accession of International Human Rights Treaties in Central Asia Reported Stateless Population in Central Asia Country Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Total ✅ ⛔ Stateless 1 ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ✅ ⛔ Stateless 2 1 ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ✅ ⛔ Refugee 1 ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ⛔ 4 Signifies that the country is a party to the convention Signifies that the country is not a party to the convention Treaty ratification status All countries in Central Asia have ratified the ICCPR, ICESCR, ICERD, CRC, and CEDAW. Uzbekistan is the only country in Central Asia that has yet to ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Turkmenistan has the highest ratification rate in the sub-region and is the only country in the sub-region to ratify both the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Despite the fact that Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have not yet ratified the Conventions on statelessness, much of their legislation already aligns with the Conventions, including the right to citizenship protected in the citizenship laws of both countries.381 Two States in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, are parties to the Convention on Legal Aid and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Cases (‘Minsk Convention’), which includes provisions binding State parties to ensure the right to a nationality, the right to change nationality, and freedom from arbitrary deprivation of nationality.382 However, only four States globally have ratified this Convention thus far. Population With the dissolution of the USSR, 280 million people became stateless, 60 million of whom resided in territories that are now recognized as 42 ICCPR ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ 5 ICESCR ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ 5 ICERD ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ 5 CRC ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ 5 CEDAW ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ 5 Stateless 1 - 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons Stateless 2 - 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.383 While many people have since been able to resolve their status, some are still left stateless due to gaps in legislation of the new successor States.384 New cases of statelessness have also arisen due to legislation gaps.385 In the UNHCR Global Action Plan to End Statelessness, the requirement for cooperation in the Central Asia sub-region as well as among all States affected by state succession was expressed.386 Country 2019 (year start)390 2022 (year end)393 7,690 7,999 7,831 8,569 Kyrgyzstan 548 (0 at year end) 18 600 203 Tajikistan 4,616 6,385 6,110 5,391 Turkmenistan 4,714 3,924 4,280 4,527 Uzbekistan 79,942 69,791 37,993 27,389 TOTALS 97,510 88,117 56,814 46,079 Source: UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement from 2019-2022. Persons at risk of statelessness Combined, Central Asian countries reported just over 46,000 stateless persons to UNHCR in 2022.387 Since the beginning of 2019, the stateless population in this sub-regional has incrementally declined with a total reduction of 51,431 persons. Much of this reduction in population is due to a notable decrease in the stateless population of Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan and Tajikistan have seen general upward trends in reported stateless persons, while the reported stateless populations in Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan have fluctuated since 2019. Notably, Kyrgyzstan was the first country to successfully resolve all known cases of statelessness in the country in July 2019.388 Since this time the country has identified new cases, reporting 203 stateless persons to UNHCR at the end of 2022.389 Across Central Asia, the Lyuli/Mugat (also referred to as Luli/Roma and Lyuli/Mughat; recognized in Tajikistan as Roma/Jughi; although the preferred term is Mugat/Mughat) ethnic group experiences low access to social services due to widespread discrimination STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC (DETAILED VERSION) 2021 (year end)392 Kazakhstan Across Central Asia, the Lyuli/Mugat (also referred to as Luli/Roma and Lyuli/Mughat; recognized in Tajikistan as Roma/Jughi; although the preferred term is Mugat/Mughat) ethnic group experiences low access to social services due to widespread discrimination.394 Historically, the Mugat community lived a nomadic lifestyle and never acquired documentation such as birth certificates.395 While the community is no longer nomadic, the Mugat are at a much higher risk of statelessness as a result of remaining lack of documentation and discrimination.396 The community tends to be “confined to a low level education, informal employment, temporary housing and unaffordable medical services” and many face barriers in obtaining identity documents.397 Members of the Mugat community represent minorities in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan in particular, with limited information about the ethnic group in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. An estimated 69,851 members of the Mugat community reside in Uzbekistan.398 Reported stateless persons 2020 (year end)391 The community tends to be “confined to a low level education, informal employment, temporary housing and unaffordable medical services” and many face barriers in obtaining identity documents Causes of Statelessness Lack of legal safeguards against childhood statelessness In Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, additional conditions that require parents of stateless children to be permanent residents creates gaps in protection against statelessness.399 The requirement of written consent or joint application in cases where one parent has a foreign nationality fails to prevent statelessness in the event of disagreement or inaction from parents in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.400 The requirement of written consent or joint application in cases where one parent has a foreign nationality fails to prevent statelessness in the event of disagreement or inaction from parents in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. All but Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan define stateless persons in such a way that places the burden of proof on the stateless person to prove their lack of nationality. REPORT 2024 43