Continue to support the Ivorian government in its efforts to better map the statelessness
phenomenon in the country, including through the potential undertaking of surveys focusing
specifically on proxy questions relevant for identifying statelessness.
Dialogue with the Ivorian government and provide support to its efforts to create and
implement a national action plan on statelessness.
Provide technical assistance throughout the legislative reform process, including the
development of guidelines on Ivorian nationality determination and standardizing
procedures for issuing nationality certificates.
Review and evaluate the effectiveness of the government’s special acquisition of nationality
by declaration program with a particular focus on measuring its impact on the reduction of
statelessness.
Mainstream age, gender, and diversity considerations into all statelessness programming,
with particular efforts to resolve with urgency the status of stateless children.
Undertake a comprehensive stakeholder analysis of national and international actors
engaging in programming and activities related to statelessness.
Raise awareness on statelessness among the UN system, international organizations, the
diplomatic community, and donors.
Establish working relationships with the consular authorities of the most important migrantsending ECOWAS States to engage in dialogue on how to improve their provision of
nationality documentation to their nationals and their descendants in Côte d’Ivoire and
provide support to the ECOWAS States in this process. Collaborate with the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) in this regard.
Broaden UNHCR’s collaboration with and support for non-governmental and communitybased organizations, including as partners on various projects, which could include outreach
and awareness-raising on nationality and statelessness and individual legal assistance to
obtain documentation required to establish nationality.
Engage in greater public awareness-raising related to the phenomenon of statelessness in
Côte d’Ivoire to demystify and depoliticize the issue in the public conscience.
7.3. To ECOWAS and ECOWAS Member States with nationals in Côte d’Ivoire220
ECOWAS institutions should develop regional standards for the reduction and avoidance of
statelessness and mechanisms for resolving the status of stateless ECOWAS citizens.
ECOWAS Member States should collaborate with the Ivorian government in conducting
nationality verification exercises to resolve the nationality status of individuals with ties to
their States, including through the relaxation of evidentiary requirements where necessary.
7.4. To international organizations, the diplomatic community, and donors in Côte d’Ivoire
���
Major institutional donors, such as the African Development Bank, World Bank, UNDP, and
the European Commission, should build on investments made in the post-recovery process
in the lead-up to the 2010-2011 elections to support systemic institutional reform and
modernization of Côte d’Ivoire’s civil status system as a measure not only to aid in the
prevention and reduction of statelessness, but also to improve the birth registration rates as
a foundational tool for child protection and integral to other development objectives.
Coordinate and complement each other’s programming and advocacy on improving the civil
registration system, the identification and voter registration systems, and rule of law efforts
with the view to reducing rates of those without personal identification documentation and
preventing and reducing statelessness.
220
For additional detailed recommendations to ECOWAS regarding nationality and statelessness, see Manby,
supra note 13.
63