Country Position Paper: Statelessness in Iran A 2018 OHCHR report on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran addresses the issue of the Baluch population without proof of nationality and their limited access to social assistance, including welfare payments, healthcare and education, as well as utilities such as water, electricity and phone services.69 In 2013, the Governor of Sistan and Baluchistan province ordered an expedited process for applicants believed to be Iranian ad subsequently, 22,000 birth certificates were issued between 2013 and 2016.70 In 2017, officials reported that at least 20,000 children in the Sistan and Baluchistan province registered for schools using a special card issued to children without proof of nationality, but this figure does not include other undocumented children (or adults) who do not possess this card.7172 OHCHR reported in 2018 that “still a large number of cases are pending and remain unaddressed, mostly for Baluchi families that do not possess or cannot easily access the needed documentation to get birth certificates/notification.”73 5.4 Afghans Afghan refugees in Iran are considered one of the largest refugee populations in the world and have been present in the country for up to 40 years.74 In 2002, a large-scale repatriation initiative was implemented, returning Afghan refugees back from Iran to Afghanistan, however recurrent violence and insecurity resulted in more displacement which prevented sustainable return and reintegration into Afghanistan.75 In 2019, the European Commission reported that there are close to one million documented Afghan refugees residing in Iran, however this still leaves up to two million undocumented Afghan refugees in Iran who have no formal legal status or access to assistance.76 High numbers of Afghans have also sought asylum in OECD countries,77 and Afghan refugees were continuing to arrive in Europe in significant numbers at the time of writing.78 69 OHCHR. (2018). Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IR/A_HRC_37_24_EN.docx 70 Birth Certificates Issued for 22,000 “Stateless” People. (2017). Financial Tribune. Retrieved from https://financialtribune.com/articles/people/60328/birth-certificates-issued-for-22000-stateless-people 71 A decree by the Iranian Supreme Leader in May 2015 indicated that all children should have access to public education regardless of their legal status. The decree facilitated access to education for many children in Iran, including children without proof of nationality. The decree states “no Afghan child, even those who illegally live in Iran without documentation, should be deprived of education. They should all be enrolled in Iranian schools.” However, financial barriers (both for the families and Ministry of Education), as well as physical barriers including the limited capacity of schools to enrol additional undocumented children, and limited awareness of the families and public schools about the enrolment process prevents access to education for many children. See: Norwegian Refugee Council. (2017). Afghan Children’s Access to Education in Iran: What happened after the Supreme Leader’s Decree? Retrieved from https://d3gxp3iknbs7bs.cloudfront.net/attachments/e821bf7c-2036-470d-8ee0-9325f4cd9634.pdf and 72 About 23,000 undocumented children registered in schools in Sistan and Baluchistan province. (2017). Salamat news agency. Retrieved from www.salamatnews.com/news/228675/23 73 OHCHR. (2018). Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, available at: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IR/A_HRC_37_24_EN.docx 74 74 UNHCR (2018). Iran Needs Help to Support Afghan Refugees, available at: https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2018/9/5b8e9f414/iran-needs-help-support-afghan-refugees-unhcr-chief.html 75 Afghan refugees now reside in more than 80 countries worldwide, with the majority (91% of those documented) in Iran and Pakistan. UNHCR (2018-2019) UNHCR’s Support Toward the Implementation of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees: Enhancing Resilience and Co-Existence Through Greater Responsibility-Sharing, available at: http://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/20182019%20Solutions%20Strategy%20for%20Afghan%20Refugees%20-%20October%202018.pdf 76 European Commission (2019) European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations: Iran, available at: https://ec.europa.eu/echo/where/asia-and-pacific/iran_en 77 OECD and UNHCR (2018) Safe Pathways for Refugees: OECD-UNHCR Study on Third Country Solutions for Refugees: Family Reunification, Study Programmes and Labour Mobility, available at: https://www.oecd.org/migration/UNHCR-OECD-safe-pathways-forrefugees.pdf 78 UNHCR (2019) Refugee & Migrant Arrivals To Europe in 2019 (Mediterranean), available at: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/69500.pdf 14