12. In 2013, a total of four relevant recommendations were issued during the Second Cycle. Uruguay recommended Bangladesh to ensure valid birth certificates to all children, and Sierra Leone recommended ratifying statelessness convention. Both recommendations were accepted. Austria and Czechia made recommendations on ratifying statelessness conventions (Austria), and protecting, respecting and fulfilling Rohingyas’ human rights (Czechia). Both recommendations were noted.10 13. During the Third Cycle, in 2018, three recommendations on statelessness and the right to a nationality were made to Bangladesh. Two recommendations on access to justice for stateless people, particularly women, girls and ethnic minorities (Iceland and Brazil) and on improving birth registration (Holy See). Only the latter recommendation was accepted.11 Bangladesh’s International Obligations 14. Bangladesh is not a signatory to either the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. However, Bangladesh has international obligations to protect the right to a nationality and protect the rights of stateless persons on the basis of other UN and regional treaties to which it is a party. These include, among others: • • • • • • • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (see article 24.3); International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (see articles. 2.2 and article 3); Convention of the Rights of the Child (see articles 2, 3, 7 and 8); Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (see article 9); International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (see article 5(d)(iii)); Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (see article 18); International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (see article 29). 15. In addition to UPR, various UN Treaty Bodies made several recommendations on the promotion of the right to a nationality in Bangladesh. 16. Article 9 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women recognizes such laws as a form of discrimination and provides that women are to have equal rights with men. In its General Comment No. 32 on the gender-related dimensions of refugee status, asylum, nationality and statelessness of women, the CEDAW Committee confirmed that Article 9 extends an obligation to ensure equality between men and women in the ability to confer their nationality to their spouse. 17. In its 2016 response to the CEDAW Committee’s List of Issues, 12 the Government reported that a draft had been prepared to amend the Citizenship Act in order to uphold 10 UN Human Rights Council, ‘Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review. Bangladesh’, (8 July 2013), A/HRC/24/12, paras. 129.3, 129.95, 130.7 and 130.27. 11 UN Human Rights Council, ‘Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review. Bangladesh’, (11 July 2018), A/HRC/39/12, paras. 147.149, 149.51 and 149.60. 12 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, ‘List of issues and questions in relation to the eighth periodic report of Bangladesh. Addendum, Replies of Bangladesh’, (12 July 2016), CEDAW/C/BGD/Q/8/Add.1, para. 45. 3