EC/68/SC/CRP.13 I. Introduction 1. This update reviews developments on the prevention and reduction of statelessness, as well as the identification and protection of stateless persons, since June 2015. It provides an overview of the progress achieved in the context of the #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness in 10 years and in relation to the goals contained in the “Global action plan to end statelessness” (2014-2024). It notes the ways in which progress may be accelerated through strengthened partnerships and international response. II. Progress and ongoing challenges A. Resolving situations of statelessness 2. One of the key aims of the Campaign is to raise awareness of the plight of stateless persons and galvanize action to resolve their situation. Various initiatives were undertaken in this regard. In May 2017, a ministerial meeting of Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was held to accelerate progress with respect to implementation of the Abidjan Declaration on the Eradication of Statelessness through the adoption of an eight-year plan of action.1 In 2015, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted a draft Protocol on the Right to Nationality with input from UNHCR and other experts; this new instrument will be submitted for approval to African Union Member States in 2018. At the European level, the first European Union Council Conclusions on Statelessness were adopted in December 2015, inviting exchanges of good practice among Member States. In Asia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children adopted a multi-year research and capacity-building project on statelessness and supported stronger engagement with UNHCR. The League of Arab States (LAS) and UNHCR convened a regional meeting on “Belonging and legal identity”, and recommendations developed at this meeting are expected to be formally adopted by LAS later in 2017. 3. Building on this enhanced global and regional collaboration, significant steps to resolve statelessness have been taken in a number of countries around the world. In 2015 and 2016, a total of 109,868 people who were formerly stateless or of undetermined nationality acquired nationality or had their nationality confirmed (49,100 in 2015 and 60,768 in 2016). 4. Consistent with its goal of achieving zero statelessness by 2024, the Royal Thai Government announced that over 27,000 formerly stateless persons acquired Thai nationality since 2012. UNHCR has supported thousands more applications for Thai nationality by stateless persons. In December 2016, the Thai Cabinet adopted “Guidance and measures to address legal status problems and problems of stateless persons in Thailand”. Under this measure, it is expected that some 80,000 stateless children and young adults could acquire Thai nationality. Furthermore, a collective effort by Indonesia, the Philippines and UNHCR led to over 4,000 people of undetermined nationality having their Indonesian and/or Filipino citizenship confirmed in 2016. In Malaysia, as of February 2017, 12,350 stateless persons had been registered by UNHCR’s partner, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas. Following this registration exercise, 11,682 nationality applications were submitted, of which 1,469 have been granted. In 1 Available from http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/5915c88a4.pdf. 3