Chapter III. PLEDGES • The Government is committed to the principle of working systematically and effectively with local community structures and forums, and with structures established by refugees themselves. The principle is to build relationships that can benefit all parties until a lasting solution to the situation of the refugees is found. • The Government is prioritising the gathering and effective use of accurate data on refugees to enable it to plan effectively and respond to security and other needs at national, provincial and local levels. Regional and international cooperation • South Africa will further build bilateral and multilateral cooperation on asylum-seeker and refugee matters with other States and regional and international bodies. Areas of common interest that are being considered include burden-sharing, the sharing of data, systems integration and capacity development. Such cooperation is in keeping with the spirit of the African Group Statement. The Government of South Africa declares its support for the principles and spirit of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the subsequent 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. These principles find expression in the South African Constitution and law. The Government of South Africa hereby pledges to become a signatory and party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the subsequent 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, following the completion of an internal consultative process. The Government is committed to contributing to a world where no peoples are left stateless through the redefinition of political borders or nonregistration of children at birth or indeed the repudiation or non-recognition of citizenship of groups of peoples. An important element in this regard is clarifying the respective roles and responsibilities of the South African Government and relevant international organisations, including UNHCR. Statelessness is a global challenge and South Africa will renew its efforts to work regionally and internationally towards the important goal of the prevention and reduction of statelessness. An important mechanism which will prevent statelessness is the incorporation of National Population Registers in countries where these do not exist or are incomplete. In this regard, South Africa will next year be hosting the Second Conference of Ministers Responsible for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics for 2012, under the theme: “Improving CRVS Institutional and Human Infrastructure." 115