LAW REFORM ENABLING ACQUISITION OF NATIONALITY BY REGISTRATION
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Brazil – statelessness caused by a legal obstacle to acquisition of nationality
by children born to nationals abroad
A sustained campaign by civil society, the media and politicians resulted in constitutional reform which
enabled stateless children born abroad to Brazilian parents to acquire Brazilian nationality upon registration
at a Brazilian consulate. The reform also prevents new cases of statelessness.
ACQUISITION OF NATIONALITY THROUGH NATURALIZATION
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Russian Federation – statelessness following State succession
Implementation of legal and administrative reforms has facilitated the naturalization of hundreds of
thousands of stateless former Soviet citizens.
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Turkmenistan – statelessness following State succession
A Government-led registration campaign verified the nationality status of undocumented former Soviet
citizens living in the country. This has paved the way for the naturalization of those who are stateless, with
gradual processing of their cases and grant of nationality by decree.
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Viet Nam – statelessness of a former refugee population and
among Vietnamese women married to foreigners
Reform of the nationality law and adoption of an operational plan involving action by national and
local authorities allowed for the naturalization of stateless former Cambodian refugees. Reforms to the
nationality law also sought to address the situation of women who became stateless following marriage to a
foreign national.
COMMON THEMES IN ALL RESPONSES TO ADDRESS MAJOR STATELESSNESS SITUATIONS
àà States identified and acknowledged the existence of large-scale, protracted situations of stateless in
their territory.
àà UNHCR and other actors, including civil-society representatives, undertook targeted advocacy and
provided technical advice to States.
àà States demonstrated the political will to resolve statelessness.
àà Collaboration among a broad range of stakeholders ensured that governments mobilized State
institutions to reform laws and policies and dedicated the resources needed to implement the changes.
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CAMPAIGN TO END STATELESSNESS WITHIN 10 YE ARS