SPOTLIGHT: UNHCR RESPONSE TO STATELESSNESS RISK FOLLOWING CYCLONE IDAI © UNHCR/Zinyange Auntony In the aftermath of Cyclone Idai in 2019, people in the Chimanimani and Chipinge districts of the Manicaland province of Zimbabwe faced the risk of statelessness due to the loss of documentation as a result of the cyclone. To address this risk, UNHCR, in collaboration with the Government of Zimbabwe, organized mobile civil documentation services that issued 65,000 documents to people affected by the cyclone, including birth certificates and national identity cards. A woman surveys the damage to one of the estimated 2000 homes damaged when Cyclone Idai hit Tongogara Refugee Camp in Chipinge district in south-east Zimbabwe. The following good practices can help States to address the effects of climate change on stateless populations, and help prevent new cases of statelessness from arising • • • Resolve existing situations of statelessness, to avoid the risk of stateless people being excluded from measures, plans and policies designed to mitigate, respond to, and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Follow the guidance contained in the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness, in particular Action 2 – ensure that no child is born stateless, Action 3 – remove gender discrimination from nationality laws, Action 6 – grant protection status to stateless migrants and facilitate their naturalization, Action 7 – ensure birth registration for the prevention of statelessness, and Action 9 – accede to the UN Statelessness Conventions. Increase compliance with safeguards under international human rights instruments that protect the right to a nationality, including the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, the 1965 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. • • • Incorporate information about the risks of statelessness and practical steps to prevent and reduce statelessness in all planning documents, policy guidelines and information campaigns on climate change, disasters, and displacement. Engage in bilateral and regional arrangements aimed at preventing statelessness in the event of cross-border displacement in the context of climate change through guarantees of dual nationality, waiving formal requirements for renunciation of nationality, and ensuring basic rights and benefits in host countries. Ensure that stateless people are included in practical measures, plans and policies designed to mitigate, respond, and adapt to the impacts of climate change, including access to basic rights and disaster relief. CONTACT US Andrew Harper Special Advisor on Climate Action UNHCR, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees harper@unhcr.org U N H C R > S TAT E L E S S N E S S A N D C L I M AT E C H A N G E Radha Govil Senior Legal Officer Statelessness Section Division of International Protection UNHCR, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees govil@unhcr.org 2