Linas-Marcoussis Agreement. This would require awareness-raising and public education for potential beneficiaries, as well as for prefectural authorities at the frontlines of receiving applications to transfer to the Ministry of Justice for treatment. The naturalization process should be rendered less discretionary and subject to transparent appeals. With respect to addressing statelessness, as a new State party to the statelessness conventions, Côte d’Ivoire must begin a strategic process of ensuring the respect of its treaty obligations at the national level. This will involve: (1) undertaking legislative reform to ensure that Ivorian nationality law incorporates mandatory safeguards against statelessness that are currently absent from positive laws and procedures; (2) developing a legal framework for the protection of stateless persons in its territory with access to naturalization; (3) better identifying the scope and scale of the statelessness phenomenon in the country; and (4) undertaking the most appropriate measures to resolve statelessness and reduce the risks of statelessness among identified populations. Promptly resolving the issue of statelessness among children of unknown parents should be of utmost priority, by undertaking legislative reform to affirm their right to acquire Ivorian nationality and accompanying regulations and public-awareness efforts to ensure that this rule is implemented in practice as soon as possible and with retroactive effect. The twin issues of migrant integration and statelessness in Côte d’Ivoire are not just problems at the national level, but at the regional level as well. Any effective response to both will require efforts not only on a bilateral basis between Côte d’Ivoire and a number of its neighboring States, but also coordinated efforts at the regional level. What role can the concept of ECOWAS citizenship potentially play in filling the protection gaps related to migrant exclusion and statelessness? What measures can ECOWAS undertake to ensure that ECOWAS citizens’ rights – such as those related to non-discrimination and due process of law – are respected? Regional progress on these questions, particularly through implementation of the measures undersigned in the Abidjan Declaration, is sure to aid Côte d’Ivoire in responding to statelessness, as well as in respecting the rights of foreigners within its borders. As the country with the largest statelessness problem in the region identified thus far and as one of the regional pioneers in acceding to the two statelessness conventions, Côte d’Ivoire has rightly assumed a leadership role in pushing the conversation forward at the regional level and must continue to do so. This report has shed light on a number of other important lessons for the way forward. Côte d’Ivoire cannot proceed to make piecemeal addendums to its Nationality Code. Adopting countless amendments to its laws weakens their value by rendering their implementation complex. Rather, Côte d’Ivoire must embark on a comprehensive review, reform, and streamlining of its nationality system, encompassing the laws and implementing regulations pertaining to nationality, civil status and identification. The bedrock for prevention and reduction of statelessness for Côte d’Ivoire and the region lies in an accessible and reliable civil status system. Investment in a comprehensive and systemic modernization of the country’s civil status system is essential to contribute to the fight against statelessness while at the same time guaranteeing a fundamental tool for child protection and promoting other development and human security objectives. How can Côte d’Ivoire avoid descending again into episodes of violence based on xenophobic and restrictive nationality-based rhetoric? Now is the time to begin a frank national discussion that embraces the complexity of the country’s history pertaining to nationality, civil status and identification, sheds candid light on the disconnect between law and practice in these areas, and once and for all engages in a transparent elaboration of feasible rules for the Ivorian context that are endorsed in a democratic manner and implemented in accordance with the rule of law. Civic education and public participation in this process will be key. 60