Implementation of the Global Action Plan UNHCR and partners continuing to address statelessness in Ukraine Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, UNHCR and its partners continue to provide assistance to stateless people and those at risk of statelessness in the country. The NGO called the Tenth of April is helping individuals obtain identification documents. For example, a 17-year-old person from Crimea was able to confirm her Ukrainian nationality with the help of an NGO lawyer and subsequently received an ID in Odesa city. Similarly, a 32-year-old who grew up in an orphanage was able to obtain his first ID thanks to the assistance of attorneys from the Tenth of April. The NGO was able to obtain information from the orphanage and police criminal files to verify his correct date of birth. Now that he has a new ID, the applicant can legally work as a washing machine engine repairman. Another NGO, NEEKA, continues to provide counseling and legal representation to Roma families in Ukraine to help them access civil and nationality documentation. It also works to ensure that undocumented and stateless individuals have access to humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Action 1: Resolve existing major situations of statelessness The Unites States of America granted humanitarian parole to a group of 222 exiled political prisoners from Nicaragua in February. Upon arrival in the United States, the exiles learned that they had been stripped of their citizenship by the Nicaraguan government, following amendments to the Nicaraguan Constitution and the adoption of a new law “regulating the loss of Nicaraguan nationality”. These individuals are eligible to apply for asylum which would provide them a pathway to eventual U.S. citizenship, and the right to apply for employment authorization. The U.S. government is working with two NGOs to provide legal aid and mental health and psychosocial support. The A 17-year-old girl from Crimea was able to have her Ukrainian nationality confirmed at the State Migration Service with support from Oleksandra Dombrovska, a lawyer from the NGO, the Tenth of April. © UNHCR partner the Tenth of April / Diana Zakharuk government of Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia have also publicly announced offers of citizenship to the exiles. The new law on the loss of Nicaraguan nationality has affected 94 other individuals, of which UNHCR has verified the situation of 57 people currently located in Nicaragua and abroad. UNHCR is working with partners to monitor and identify possible solutions for these individuals. Of the 33 individuals located in Costa Rica, UNHCR and partners are advocating for a fast-track decision for those with pending asylum claims, advising those interested in obtaining Costa Rican nationality, providing support for refugees in need of travel documents, and offering legal assistance to new arrivals seeking asylum in Costa Rica. UNHCR > The Campaign to End Statelessness | January – March 2023 Update 2