Implementation of the Global Action Plan In line with Action 1, Resolve existing situations of statelessness, on 12 December and on the occasion of Kenya’s 57th Independence Day celebrations, the President of Kenya announced a landmark decision to grant citizenship to 1,670 stateless Shona and 1,300 stateless persons of Rwandan descent who qualify under the law as Kenyan citizens. The decision follows a pledge made by the Government of Kenya during UNHCR’s 2019 High-Level Segment on Statelessness. Further on Action 1, the Government of Kazakhstan and UNHCR launched a country-wide campaign in October to identify stateless persons and address their situation through the confirmation of nationality or registration as stateless. Coordination meetings were held in eight regions with local executive bodies and media representatives to raise awareness of the campaign and facilitate the identification activities. Also in line with Action 1, on 22 July, the Constitutional Court of South Africa declared children (now adults) born in exile to South African parents as citizens of the country. The decision came following seven years of litigation concerning the status of such children (Chisuse v Director-General of Home Affairs CCT 155/19). All four of the applicants in this case have since had their births registered and are awaiting the issuance of ID documents in line with the court order. Also with regard to Action 1, on 11 December and on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan, following a Presidential decree 2,580 stateless persons belonging to 19 ethnicities were granted the citizenship of Turkmenistan. The next day a passport handover ceremony took place at the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan in Ashgabat. In addition, 874 foreign citizens and stateless persons were granted residence permits. Furthermore on Action 1, the President of Uzbekistan announced that stateless persons who have permanently resided in the country since 2005 will receive Uzbek citizenship. It is expected that another 20,000 stateless persons in Uzbekistan will acquire citizenship in 2021. Sister Joanna Dube, an elderly Shona nun who arrived in Kenya as a child with her parents, receives her certificate of registration from President Kenyatta. © Presidential Strategic Communication Unit 6