Access to vaccines Recommendations Devise national COVID-19 vaccination plans based on public health considerations and in line with human rights standards, ensuring accessibility, equitability, non-discrimination and inclusion of all persons resident on the territory to the greatest extent possible. Prioritization plans should give consideration to factors that may heighten the risk of getting COVID-19 among stateless populations as well as their vulnerability to more serious outcomes. Identify barriers that stateless populations may face in accessing vaccination and design targeted programs to ensure meaningful and practical access. Exempt stateless persons from requirements of legal status and identity documentation and create an alternative system for undocumented persons to register for and receive vaccination. Establish criteria to determine priority vaccine recipients transparently and ensure that prioritization plans are widely communicated to the population. Ensure messaging on COVID-19 vaccines in languages that all populations resident on the territory can understand. Diverse means of communication may need to be employed in order to reach all people resident on the territory. Create a firewall between vaccination and immigration services, allowing stateless persons, persons at risk of statelessness and others to access services without fear that their information will be shared with immigration authorities. Governments should issue clear assurances to all groups that they will not face arrest or other legal repercussions when coming forward for vaccination. Engage a wide range of stakeholders, including grassroots organizations and stateless persons, in identification, outreach and vaccine distribution to alleviate mistrust towards authorities and enhance willingness to get vaccinated. Ensure that prioritization plans are clear, leaving no room for misinterpretation or discriminatory practices by local authorities responsible for implementing the plans. Monitoring of vaccine distribution can further reduce the risks of improper exclusion of certain groups. Establish plans for equitable inclusion of all people resident on the territory in vaccine roll-out strategies before introducing “vaccine passport” schemes. 7 THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON STATELESS POPULATIONS