In line with Action 6 (Grant protection status to stateless migrants and facilitate their naturalization), on 14 February, Montenegro adopted a new Law on Foreigners (in Montenegrin) that establishes a statelessness determination procedure. Among other things, the Law allows stateless persons to access the labor market and to apply for a passport and a temporary residence permit. With regard to Action 8 (Issue nationality documentation to those with entitlement to it) the Indonesian Consulate in Davao City, the Philippines, issued Indonesian passports to 300 persons verified as Indonesians by descent. On 18 January, the Law on court fees was amended in Ukraine. Amongst other changes, the residents of the temporarily occupied territories are now exempted from court fees in cases related to recognition of births and deaths. In January, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ecuador adopted a Resolution which complements the Human Mobility Law adopted in 2017. The Resolution establishes a statelessness determination procedure to provide for facilitated naturalization of persons found to be stateless, and includes a key provision concerning the access of stateless persons to legal residence, documentation and fundamental rights. With respect to Action 9 (Accede to the UN Statelessness Conventions), following previous developments, the Senate of Chile unanimously approved draft bills authorizing the Executive Branch to accede to both the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions. Chile’s accession to both conventions is expected soon. In February, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security of Brazil enacted an ordinance that regulates provisions on statelessness determination procedures and facilitated naturalization for stateless persons in the country. On 2 March, the Council of Ministers of Spain approved the country’s accession to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. The next step is approval by the Parliament. With regard to Action 7 (Ensure birth registration for the prevention of statelessness), the Government of Lebanon adopted new measures simplifying birth registration procedures for Syrians born in Lebanon between 1 January 2011 and 8 February 2018. It is estimated that some 50,000 children may benefit from this initiative. On 4 March, UNHCR and the Ministry of Interior of Jordan initiated a 7-month grace period to regularize the status of Syrian nationals living in urban areas. By rectifying their status, Syrians will be able to benefit from UNHCR assistance and to record vital life events such as birth and marriage, thus contributing to the prevention of statelessness. 5

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