. Identification re ention and reduction o state essness President and the Ombudsman’s Office, has been developing an amnesty law to facilitate solutions for stateless persons whose situations have not been addressed owing to concerns about possible administrative penalties and criminal sanctions. Another important element of resolving the situation of stateless or at risk populations is improved access to citizenship and citizenship documentation in the rural border areas of the country. Progress in this respect has been made through the provision of free legal assistance by the State Agency “Legal Aid Centre” (SALAC). See UNHCR Statement at the 10th OSCE Preparatory Human Dimension Implementation meeting, Dushanbe, 30 May 2016 (unpublished document). Identifying statelessness begins with a situational analysis, including a desk review and, where possible, a participatory assessment. The information on statelessness relevant for a desk review can be found in a variety of sources, including: — relevant legislation (e.g. in relation to the definition of a stateless person, to civil registration and to the acquisition and loss of nationality); — studies by government bodies; UN agencies or other international organizations; regional organizations (such as OSCE Institutions); NGOs; and academic institutions; — statistical data from population censuses; relevant public registers, such as civil registries, residence registries, data from social service agencies or data from electoral authorities; and statelessness databases (if existent). During the desk review, information gaps will become apparent. An assessment can then be made about how such gaps may be filled and how information can be updated through other information-gathering mechanisms. Primary among such mechanisms is the involvement of affected persons through a participatory assessment, which should reflect the different 44