Yan (8) was separated from
his parents in Kazakhstan,
because he did not have a birth
certificate to prove his identity
and family ties. Now he was
issued a birth certificate and
can reunite with his family. ©
UNHCR/Timur Epov
Also on Action 6, on 20 August, Portugal adopted a
National Plan for the Implementation of the Global
Compact on Migration. The National Plan contains
a commitment to ensure that all migrants have proof
of legal identity, a protected status, and proper
documentation.
Chad issued 24,000 birth certificates to children of
refugees and refugee-hosting communities at risk
of statelessness. In Niger, UNHCR, in collaboration
with ICAHD-INTERNATIONAL and the NGO Secours
des Oubliés (SDO), organized mobile courts for
adults and children in migratory situations who
have no or damaged birth certificates. A total of
2,337 birth certificates were issued to people in
Tillaberi, Niamey, Dosso, Maradi, Tahoua, Zinder
and Diffa regions. Finally, in Sudan, birth registration
campaigns were held in five States among refugees,
IDPs and host communities, focusing on both
new-born and late birth registration. During the
campaigns a total of 1,350 birth certificates were
issued.
In line with both Action 6 and Action 7, Ensure birth
registration for the prevention of statelessness, on
3 July, UNHCR and the Ministry of Justice of Mali
signed a renewed partnership agreement that will
provide for the naturalization of 1,200 refugees of
Mauritanian origin who have opted for naturalization
and the issuance of birth certificates for 300
indigenous people in the Kayes region.
Also on Action 6, on 23 April, amendments
introduced to the Law on Foreigners in the
Republic of Bulgaria allow the possibility of issuing
a continuous residence permit to recognized
stateless persons, which will enable their legal stay.
The amendments entered into force in October
2019.
Also with respect to Action 7, a new Child Rights
Law was adopted in Myanmar on 27 July. The law
provides for universal and free birth registration for
all children born in Myanmar without discrimination.
Finally, with respect to Action 7, in June the lower
chamber of the Parliament of Kazakhstan adopted
amendments to the Code on Marriage and Family
to ensure that all children born in Kazakhstan are
registered at birth regardless of the legal status of
their parents. The draft law will be considered by the
Senate of the Parliament later this year.
With respect to Action 7, UNHCR provided support
to several governments in issuing birth certificates
to populations at risk of statelessness. In Burkina
Faso, 27,960 birth certificates were issued in the
central-eastern and central-southern regions to
persons at risk of statelessness. The Government of
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