64 Global Recommendations on Nationality and Statelessness in the Context of Climate Change PART B 7. GLOBAL RECOMMENDATIONS | Recommendation 8 Global Recommendations on Nationality and Statelessness in the Context of Climate Change PART B 7. GLOBAL RECOMMENDATIONS | Recommendation 8 This Recommendation is relevant in contexts where there are: — Stateless persons and/or persons without a recognized nationality status in their own country; and —  Stateless persons and/or persons without a recognized nationality status outside their own country. —  Nationals (at risk of losing their nationality and becoming stateless) in their country of nationality; —  Nationals (at risk of losing their nationality and becoming stateless) outside their country of nationality; IV. Prevent IV. Prevent Recommendation 8 Provide everyone with access to birth registration and proof of nationality documentation in contexts where people are vulnerable to or affected by climate-related hazards in order to prevent statelessness (also relevant to Recommendation 3 under Protect, and Recommendation 9 under Prevent). 65 Context: 7.41 People who are impacted by climate-related hazards or who are displaced or migrate in the context of climate change may not be able to prove their nationality due to lost or damaged civil registration or identity documentation, or even physical repositories where such documents are held, for example due to floods or wildfires. They may also face barriers, such as distance or costs, to accessing civil registration and documentation services, such as (re)acquiring documentation, including birth certificates, passports, and national identity cards. Gender-based barriers may also prevail, if, for example, birth registration frameworks and practices require the presence of a father, or proof of marriage for a child’s birth to be registered. Lack of documentation that helps to prove or serves as proof of nationality can leave people at risk of statelessness or render them stateless, especially when authorities equate lack of proof of nationality with lack of nationality itself. 7.42 The right of every child to be registered at birth is universally protected.73 Universal birth registration is also critical to achieving Target 16.9 of the Sustainable Development Goals to provide legal identity74 to every person and preventing statelessness.75 Although birth registration does not generally, in itself, constitute proof of nationality, it does help to prevent statelessness by establishing a legal record of where a child was born and who their parents are. These key facts are the foundation for acquiring nationality at birth. Without birth registration, including issuance of a birth certificate, children — especially those who have been displaced or migrated — may have problems proving their links to a State. This can make it difficult for them to have their nationality established and obtain proof of nationality. 7.43 Further, birth registration can help to facilitate the implementation of the legal safeguards against statelessness referred to in Recommendation 7. For children who are born stateless in contexts where there are no safeguards to prevent their statelessness at birth, birth registration remains important to facilitate their protection and enjoyment of rights, and it may also be helpful for resolving their statelessness later in life.