Access to civil documentation Access to civil documentation Where civil documentation is not issued or lapses, the risks are likely to be highest for minority group members. In a number of countries where civil registration services were not designated as vital services, birth registration services completely ceased for the majority of the pandemic or for significant time periods. In other countries, birth registration offices were still operational, although with reduced staffing and opening hours. There are also reports that specific civil registration services to target hard-to-reach areas, such as mobile activities, were sometimes suspended. In many of these countries, significant backlogs have been reported, which in some cases come on top of existing birth registration backlogs. Where civil documentation is not issued or lapses, the risks are likely to be highest for minority group members to (re)establish their nationality in the absence of documentation proving place of birth and descent. The risk of statelessness due to nonregistration of births Birth certificates are a key form of proof to establish eligibility for a nationality in that the document provides key information, such as place of birth and parentage, needed to assert a child’s right to a nationality. While lack of birth registration on its own does not render a person stateless, it can create a risk of statelessness if a person cannot establish entitlement to 8 nationality. As noted above, some population groups are at particular risk. These include minority groups, nomadic and border populations, refugees, internally displaced persons, migrants and unaccompanied or separated children. To ensure universal access to birth registration, UNHCR advocates for obstacles to birth registration to be tackled and specific initiatives to be undertaken to reach those at risk of not getting births registered. Good practices In many countries birth registration services were considered as ‘vital services’ and were continued during the pandemic as a result, albeit with certain measures in place to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Some notable examples are listed below. A number of countries adopted alternative institutional practices to be able to continue to offer civil registration services: ■ In Chile, emergency offices were opened in the capital district to guarantee the provision of civil registration services. Additional personnel were trained to perform civil registration and virtual services were expanded. THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON STATELESS POPULATIONS