The UNHCR Representation in the Kyrgyz Republiс The Administration of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Concluding Statement High-Level Steering Meeting on the Reduction and Prevention of Statelessness in the Kyrgyz Republic We, the participants, Understanding the significance of citizenship as a main instrument for ensuring human rights and security, Confirming the necessity to reduce cases of statelessness and take measures to prevent statelessness, Lauding the attention and efforts by the parliament, government, authorities, and civil society of the Kyrgyz Republic in identifying the causes of statelessness and in fulfilling its obligations to prevent and reduce statelessness and to provide stateless persons with access to all their due rights and duties, Welcoming the support received for this efforts by UNHCR and other international organizations on the local, national, regional and international level, Greeting the election of the Kyrgyz Republic as a member of the Human Rights Council; Have agreed to the following action plan: 1. To accelerate exchange of old 1974 standard Soviet passports by the Department of Passport and Visa Control of the Ministry of Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic (with support of UNHCR); 2. To bring relevant by-laws and instructions in compliance with the 2007 Law on Citizenship of the Kyrgyz Republic (the Parliament, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Justice with support of the working group on citizenship and statelessness); 3. To adopt an Instruction on the procedure for the determination of status of stateless persons (Ministry of Interior with support of the working group on citizenship and statelessness); 4. To introduce accelerated procedures for the naturalization of spouses of Kyrgyz citizens originating from CIS countries (Citizenship Commission, Ministry of Interior with support of the working group on citizenship and statelessness); 5. To prepare implementing comments to the Law on Citizenship of the Kyrgyz Republic (Ministry of Interior with support of academicians and the working group on citizenship and statelessness); 6. To recommend and promote accession of the Kyrgyz Republic to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness including through a public hearing at Parliament; 7. To continue supporting the activities of the working group on citizenship and statelessness; 8. To again meet in the spring of 2010 to take stock of the implementation, revise and update this joint work plan. 22 September 2009 Bishkek City 7 Small Changes ‫ ـ‬Big Gains: An Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Statelessness in the Kyrgyz Republic