subsequent (late) registration. Civil society actors can also assist individuals with procedures for confirming their nationality with administrative authorities or courts, for instance with the filing of applications, obtaining supporting documentation or paying direct and indirect costs. • Combating discrimination: In order to avert risks of statelessness, a critical step is to promote international standards on non-discrimination, and to raise awareness of the consequences of statelessness, both for the individual and society as a whole. Such activities can also be closely linked to conflict prevention and peace building. 3. Reduction of statelessness Activities for the reduction of statelessness primarily aim at promoting the acquisition of a nationality. This can be through large-scale citizenship campaigns or individualized naturalization procedures. The following activities are relevant in this context: • Advocating for access to citizenship for stateless populations: Political will is a decisive factor in finding a solution to statelessness situations, in particular those of a protracted nature. Raising awareness of statelessness, its consequences, and the right to a nationality in addition to offering advice and support are key to generating such political will. While decisions on nationality are generally taken at a high political level, advocacy should be directed at all stakeholders who influence, or are affected by, political decisions. The stronger the public support for, and the lower the resistance against, integration of stateless people within the broader population of citizens, the easier it is for political leaders to decide upon and implement solutions. • Implementing legislative solutions: Acquisition of nationality by stateless persons may require amending nationality legislation in order to establish more inclusive rules on who is to be considered a national. Such legislation can be applied by operation of law (automatically), thereby avoiding costly procedures which may serve to exclude certain individuals. Similarly, legislation on naturalization should foresee facilitation of requirements for stateless persons, for instance through reduced residence requirements and lower fees. Expert advice on comprehensive and just solutions may need to be provided in this regard and national capacity strengthened to formulate and implement legislative solutions. • Supporting institutional responses: Capacity-building and training assist States to reform administrative practices that impede the acquisition of a nationality. This can relate to discrimination against certain applicants in proceedings or lack of awareness of statelessness and existing methods to facilitate acquisition of nationality. Citizenship campaigns should be undertaken once legal or political reforms are achieved, that would allow large numbers of stateless persons to acquire a State’s nationality. Such campaigns help identify individuals who qualify for acquisition of nationality, process their applications and issue nationality documentation. Given the marginalization of many stateless populations, mobile teams need to raise awareness in cooperation with civil society or through building capacity of administrative authorities. - 11 -