Implementation of the Global Action Plan In line with Action 1, Resolve existing situations of statelessness, on 3 February, the President of Uzbekistan signed a Decree instructing the Government to grant citizenship to stateless persons who arrived before 1 January 2005 and have permanently resided in the country since. The Government estimates that some 20,000 stateless persons will benefit from the new procedure, out of a total stateless population of over 97,000. States against statelessness in West Africa and was attended by UNHCR, the UN Resident Coordinator and members of the diplomatic community. The event received considerable news coverage, including by Radio France Internationale. Further steps in establishing the SDP were made on 11 and 12 March, when Standard Operating Procedures were validated at a workshop organized by UNHCR and the Directorate for Aid and Assistance to Refugees and Stateless Persons. On 27 February, the Migration Service Committee of the Ministry of Interior of Kazakhstan, the International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law (KIBHR) and UNHCR launched the second phase of the country-wide statelessness identification campaign. Throughout March, the Migration Service Committee and KIBHR conducted outreach visits in six regions to raise awareness of statelessness, monitor the implementation of legislation, identify stateless persons and assist in resolving their situation. Since the launch of the first phase of the campaign in Kazakhstan in October 2020, more than 3,000 stateless persons have been identified and provided with legal assistance and counselling. On 26 January, Thailand’s Cabinet approved a resolution to provide access to legal immigration status and permanent residency for registered stateless residents who have lived in Thailand for 15 years. The resolution will enhance the ability of up to 400,000 registered stateless persons to access a wider set of entitlements. Permanent residency will facilitate their eventual access to Thai nationality. In January, the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro informed UNHCR that five persons had been granted statelessness status through the SDP established in 2018. Statelessness status provides these individuals with legal residence and access to basic rights. UNHCR and partners are supporting the Ministry of Interior to strengthen the SDP and to secure effective access to rights for those granted statelessness status by providing free legal aid and monitoring status determination interviews. These efforts are in line with Montenegro’s pledge at the 2019 HLS to strengthen its SDP and better protect stateless persons. In line with Action 3, Remove gender discrimination from nationality laws, as of 6 February, in Iran, a total of 86,558 applications were submitted following the legal amendment in June 2020 that made it possible for children of Iranian mothers and foreign fathers to apply for citizenship. Of these, 570 applicants have so far received their Shenasnameh (Iranian nationality document). To support the process, lawyers contracted by UNHCR are providing legal assistance to individuals in the application procedure. On 1 January, Slovakia introduced provisions to its domestic law (Act no. 145/1995 Coll. on Administrative Fees) that will allow administrative authorities to reduce or waive the fee for a citizenship application submitted by a stateless person. This legal amendment is an important step towards facilitating the naturalization of stateless persons in line with Article 32 of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons. In line with Action 6, Grant protection status to stateless migrants and facilitate their naturalization, on 23 February, the Minister of Justice of Côte d’Ivoire formally installed members of the statelessness status determination commissions (first instance and appeal commissions) following the adoption of a Statelessness Determination Procedure (SDP) in September 2020. The ceremony also marked the 6th Anniversary of the Abidjan Declaration of ECOWAS Member On 24 February, the President of the Russian Federation endorsed the introduction of amendments to the law “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation” to allow 5