registration legislation. The report also identifies innovative practices, trends and gaps in programming for achieving birth registration for all. The report has been developed to inform and support UNHCR's Southern Africa regional strategy on birth registration and statelessness in terms of Action Point 7’s target that by 2024 no cases of statelessness will occur due to lack of birth registration. 3. METHODOLOGY This report is based on desk research of published information, an analysis of laws governing birth registration systems of the 16 SADC member states, and conversations with focal persons and protection officers from UNHCR's country offices and external global and regional experts in civil registration, statelessness, and citizenship laws. Benchmarks were carefully selected to guide the analysis of the countries' legal framework and governing practices. The selected legal benchmarks are, in our view, also vital safeguards to reduce statelessness and can also use to guide countries' legal reform initiatives. The benchmarks are listed in chapter 6 and further described and considered individually, together with the country's evidence. The legal safeguards largely follow the UN recommendations, 14 just as we have found guidance in the Civil Registration, Vital Statistics, and Identity Management, Legal and Regulatory Review Toolkit. 15 Our many years of experience working in the Civil Registration field have also contributed to the analysis; two of the authors have, for example, been heavily involved in reviewing the Namibian legislation and developing new legislation, which we believe provides a good example, in many aspects, on how to provide safeguards against statelessness in civil registration systems. The nexus between birth registration, citizenship and statelessness has been one of the most significant challenges to resolve. We believe that more guidance needs to be developed to address the situation on the ground. Limitations Since this study has been primarily based on published information, it has not been possible to document actual practices in most countries considered. We know from experience that many countries’ practices and procedures are not aligned with their legal frameworks, sometimes in the child's interest and sometimes not. It is also common that procedures are not standardized within a country. Practices on how children born to non-citizens are registered, and the type of birth certificate they are issued, would be particularly relevant to study. In this regard, we had information only from Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. 4. LEGISLATION TO PREVENT STATELESSNESS It is part of States sovereign power to legislate regarding acquisition, change and loss of citizenship as part of their sovereign power. The same goes for civil registration legislation. UN Guidelines for the Legislative Framework for Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management Systems (Second Draft), 2019 https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/Standards-andMethods/files/Handbooks/crvs/CRVS_GOLF_Final_Draft-E.pdf 14 15 Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management (CRVSID), Legal and Regulatory Review Toolkit, 2022 https://advocacyincubator.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CompleteToolkit.pdf 5