V. Identification, prevention, and reduction of statelessness, and the protection of stateless persons As mentioned in Chapter IV, States have the primary responsibility to identify and protect stateless persons on their territories and take action to prevent and reduce statelessness. This ensures that affected individuals or populations can enjoy basic human rights, allowing them to live in dignity until their situations can be resolved through the acquisition of a nationality. According to their respective mandates, UNHCR and the OSCE Institutions ODIHR and HCNM can assist States in a variety of ways when there are indications that individuals or groups (such as minority groups) are stateless or could become stateless. For example, OSCE Institutions can address rule of law and other issues that help protect human rights and promote long-term stability. Both UNHCR and the OSCE will generally draw the attention of States to a cause or risk of statelessness due to such factors as gaps in legislation, administrative hurdles to the acquisition or confirmation of nationality, or State succession. The following sections set out types of responses which can be undertaken by States with regard to the identification, prevention, and reduction of statelessness, and the protection of stateless persons. V.1. Identification – “mapping” stateless populations and their situations Government officials might encounter the question of whether a person is stateless in a range of contexts, which reflect the critical role that nationality plays in everyday life. For example, consideration of nationality status is relevant when individuals apply for passports or identity documents, seek employment in the public sector, need access to healthcare, receive pensions, register their children at kindergarten and school, 41