SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SOUTHEAST ASIA SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SOUTHEAST ASIA Dual citizenship In 2018, the CRC Committee in its concluding observations expressed concerns regarding the fact that 75% of children under five years of age are unregistered and that only 33% of children have a birth certificate. Dual citizenship is only recognized for those of Lao race who acquire citizenship by request.2727 In order to do so, a person who has a prior nationality must be a permanent resident in Laos for 5 years.2728 Lao citizens applying for citizenship elsewhere must first renounce their Lao citizenship.2729 Similarly, a foreign citizen applying for Lao citizenship must agree to renounce their other citizenship.2730 This could lead to temporary statelessness if the applicant's citizenship application is denied after they have renounced their other citizenship. However, the foreign citizen could re-acquire their former citizenship if the law of the former country allows them to. birth registration, establish a mobile registration system, and eliminate costs associated with birth registration.2733 In 2018, the CEDAW Committee also cited concerns over the country’s low birth registration rate, especially in rural areas and among ethnic minority groups.2734 By ratifying the CRC, Laos has committed to ensure that all births are registered immediately and that all children have the right to acquire a nationality.2735 While Laos has ratified the ICCPR, ICESCR, ICERD, CRC, and CEDAW with no relevant reservations, the country has yet to ratify the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Causes of Statelessness Reported stateless persons Laos has not reported any statistics of stateless persons living within its territory to UNHCR. Persons at risk of statelessness There are over 500,000 persons of Hmong ethnicity living in Laos.2738 The Hmong ethnic group face continual discrimination (including the denial of passports) and have low birth-registration rates, placing them at risk of statelessness.2739 In TABLE 71 Status of Accession of International Human Rights Treaties in Southeast Asia Lao People’s Democratic Republic ✅ ⛔ 242 ⛔ Stateless 2 ⛔ Refugee Signifies that the country is a party to the convention Signifies that the country is not a party to the convention ⛔ ICCPR ✅ ICESCR ✅ ICERD ✅ CRC ✅ CEDAW ✅ Stateless 1 - 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons Stateless 2 - 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC (DETAILED VERSION) While no detailed breakdown is available of persons with undetermined nationality in Laos, the most recent Population Census held in 2015 recorded 375 foreigners in Laos whose citizenship was unknown.2742 and who is unable to certify their nationality, which can be interpreted as stateless persons or persons with undetermined nationality.2748 A child born to two ‘apatrid’ parents may gain citizenship if the parents are both permanent residents, integrated into Lao society, and the parents request the child to gain citizenship.2749 Citizenship stripping If a Lao citizen migrates to another country for 7 years without authorization, their Lao citizenship can be forfeited.2750 This can also occur if the citizen’s authorization to reside overseas expires while not under the administration of the Lao embassy or consulate in their country of residence.2751 Citizenship may also be forfeited if a citizen “has not maintained any legal connection with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic for more than ten years”.2752 Administrative barriers Population In 2018, the CRC Committee in its concluding observations expressed concerns regarding the fact that 75% of children under five years of age are unregistered and that only 33% of children have a birth certificate.2731 The Committee identified that costs of registration are a barrier to universal birth registration and that children in rural areas have disproportionately lower access to birth registration.2732 It was recommended that Laos raise awareness of the importance of Stateless 1 2009, around 4,000 Hmong people from Thailand were forcibly returned to Laos.2740 While UNHCR has requested access to this population, the Laos government has yet to provide it, aside from a government-escorted visit to one returnee site.2741 Information on the condition and treatment of this population remains limited. Undetermined nationalities The Human Rights Committee in its concluding observations has raised concern regarding the enforced disappearances of members of the Hmong ethnic minority community2736, who were forcibly returned to Laos from Thailand in 2009.2737 Treaty ratification status Country There are over 500,000 persons of Hmong ethnicity living in Laos. The Hmong ethnic group face continual discrimination (including the denial of passports) and have low birth-registration rates, placing them at risk of statelessness. Lack of legal safeguards against childhood statelessness Due to the lack of in-country partners and available research, the causes of statelessness within Laos are largely unknown. Lao citizenship laws provide that foundling children will be considered citizens.2743 Laos’s citizenship legislation further provides that children born to stateless parents are considered Lao citizens if the parents are permanently residing in Laos and have ‘integrated to the Lao society and culture’.2744 However, the US Department of State has noted that this process is not automatic, requiring multiple levels of administrative and government approval and does not protect all stateless children born in the territory of Laos.2745 A child born to one Lao citizen parent and one ‘apatrid’ parent will be a citizen no matter their birthplace.2746 In the Law on Lao Nationality, an ‘apatrid’2747 is defined as an individual residing in Laos who is not a Lao citizen Low birth registration rates and barriers to birth registration, especially among the Hmong ethnic minority population may place persons in Hmong at risk of statelessness.2753 In 2014, Laos stated in a Report of the Working Group that a national action plan had been developed calling it the Strategic Plan for Civil Registration, to explore a digital birth registration system.2754 This Plan began in 2017 and set a vision to reach universal birth registration for Lao people by 2030.2755 Three goals are included in the Plan, which includes universal and effective civil registration, legal documentation of civil registration for all individuals, and compilation and dissemination of vital statistics based on registration records.2756 Laos set a specific target to achieve 70% birth registration rate by 20242757, which they have been successful in achieving.2758 However, the country has yet to reach a universal birth registration rate, which was reported as 73% in 2017.2759 However, the country has yet to reach a universal birth registration rate, which was reported as 73% in 2017. 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