f) Data and Legal Barriers A practical risk is lack of data and civil documentation. Many displaced people, especially IDPs, are uncounted in censuses and surveys; stateless persons by definition lack records. This invisibility means policies may not reach them. Without legal documents, people cannot claim rights or prove nationality, perpetuating statelessness across generations. 8. Recommendations To address forced migration and statelessness as drivers of conflict, the following actions are recommended for key stakeholders. a) African Union and Continental Level In the short term (1–2 years), the AU should finalize ratification and entry into force of the AU Statelessness Protocol63 and encourage all member states to ratify the Kampala Convention.64 The AU should also issue a model law on statelessness, launch a continental free birthregistration campaign, and establish an AU Migration Observatory. In the medium term (3–5 years), the AU should integrate forced migration into PSC agendas, develop continent-wide guidelines on IDP law harmonization, launch an African Network on Statelessness, and mobilize regional financing for durable solutions. In the long term (5+ years), forced migration governance should be embedded in Agenda 2063 and successor frameworks. b) Regional Economic Communities RECs should map member states' asylum and statelessness laws to identify gaps and draft region-wide refugee status regulations. They should convene ministerial working groups on durable solutions, create dedicated migration and displacement coordination units, formalize inter-REC cooperation, and ultimately develop binding regional treaties addressing climate-induced displacement. c) National Governments Governments should ratify core treaties, enact or update asylum, IDP, and nationality laws, and issue executive orders for temporary protection in crisis situations. In the medium term, they should establish or empower national refugee and integration agencies, train judges and officials in humanitarian law, invest in refugee education and vocational training, create land rights programmes for IDPs, and include displaced populations in national development plans. In the long term, they should promote social inclusion through naturalization pathways, reform constitutions to eliminate gender and ethnic discrimination in nationality law, and build climate resilience to reduce future displacement. d) International Partners International partners should provide seed funding and technical assistance for law drafting, support AU and REC secretariats, and fund immediate refugee-hosting needs. In the medium term, they should scale up development cooperation in refugee-hosting regions, assist in statistical 63 AU Statelessness Protocol (n 23). 64 Kampala Convention (n 3).