VI. Take concrete steps to protect stateless people from arbitrary detention, including introducing a mechanism to identify (risks of) statelessness during the decision to detain, and implementing a thorough assessment of vulnerability and appropriateness of alternative measures in each individual case. VII. Ensure that the treatment of stateless persons, including those in immigration detention, fully complies with its international obligations, and that alternatives to detention are implemented to protect against arbitrary detention in all circumstances. VIII. Protect everyone’s right to a nationality, and amend national laws to comply with international obligations which prohibit the arbitrary deprivation of nationality and discrimination, while ensuring the avoidance of statelessness. IX. Ensure that policies and practices relating to birth registration and the identification of stateless children take into account UNHCR guidelines and good practice to ensure that all children are correctly registered.45 X. Amend the Belgian Nationality Code to ensure that all children born abroad to Belgian nationals acquire nationality automatically at birth, remove any risk of statelessness arising in adoption procedures, and bring provisions on foundlings and deprivation of nationality in line with the 1961 Convention. XI. Amend the Belgian Immigration Act to allow for persons recognised as stateless by the courts to be automatically granted a residence permit, and to allow for persons applying for stateless status to be granted a temporary residence permit during the procedure. XII. Withdraw its reservations to the 1961 Convention and amend the Belgian Nationality Act to fully align with the Convention. XIII. Accede to the European Convention on Nationality and the Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession. 45 1961 Convention; UNHCR, Guidelines on Statelessness No. 4: Ensuring Every Child's Right to Acquire a Nationality through Articles 1-4 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, 21 December 2012, HCR/GS/12/04, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/50d460c72.html. 10

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