Implementation of the Global Action Plan © UNHCR / W. Munaita An immigration officer verifies information of a Makonde family during the registration drive. individual basis. Abandoned children whose parents are unknown can also apply if they are certified as such by the relevant agency under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and have lived in Thailand for not less than 10 years. According to the Ministry of the Interior, some 80,000 people are likely to benefit from this resolution, including 61,070 stateless individuals who were not previously included in the Government’s statistics on the registered stateless population. This recent regulation builds on measures announced in the past few years by expanding the scope of eligibility and clarifying the criteria and procedures involved. In line with Action 1 of the Global Action Plan (Resolve existing major situations of statelessness) the President of Kenya has officially proclaimed the Makonde, a longtime stateless group in Kenya, as the 43rd official tribe in the country and as fully belonging and deserving of citizenship. As a result of the President’s proclamation, to date 1496 Makonde have received certificates of Nationality, 1731 Makonde born in Kenya have been issued birth certificates, and 1176 Makonde have been issued ID cards. Also in line with Action 1, on 7 December, the Thai Cabinet approved a resolution on “Guidance and Measures to Address Legal Status Problems and Problems of Stateless Persons in Thailand”. It was published on 14 March 2017 in the Royal Gazette. Under this resolution, children are eligible to apply for Thai nationality if: 1) They were born in Thailand to parents from ethnic minority groups, were registered by the Ministry of Interior and have lived in Thailand for not less than 15 years; or 2) They were born in Thailand to other groups of aliens and have graduated from university or the equivalent. If they have not graduated yet, the Ministry of the Interior shall examine the case on an On 20 February, in Turkmenistan, UNHCR attended the naturalization ceremony pictured below. 25 individuals out of 1,381 persons who were naturalized by a Presidential decree in December 2016 received identity documents during the ceremony. A Roundtable discussion on citizenship matters prior to the ceremony enjoyed the participation of some 100 persons including various Consuls and Ambassadors, line Ministry officials, and representatives of UN Agencies based in Turkmenistan. 3