Multi-Country Office (MCO) for Cote d’Ivoire – STATELESSNESS REPORT 2024 Operational context Côte d’Ivoire is the only country in West Africa that has conducted a quantitative and qualitative study funded by the UNHCR and carried out jointly with the National Institute of Statistics in 2018. Based on further elaborations on the study’s results, as of December 2024, UNHCR estimates a population of approximately 931,000 stateless individuals and those at risk of statelessness. This population comprises various profiles, including descendants of historical migrants who do not meet the criteria to obtain Ivorian nationality through descent; other at-risk groups include foundlings born to unknown parents and individuals not registered at birth, whose parents lack proof of nationality. Ghana, Togo, and Liberia have initiated the process of adopting national action plans to combat statelessness. The two countries that have already adopted these plans are Benin (since 2014) and Côte d’Ivoire (2020-2024). Côte d’Ivoire and Benin are also the two countries in the sub-region that have established procedures for the determination of stateless status in connection with the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons. All MCO countries attended the Annual General Assembly of ID4Africa on digital identity held in Cape Town from May 21-24, 2024. UNHCR organized a special event on the last day. www.unhcr.org 3