Lost Livelihoods: As a result of COVID-19, those with nationality issues have been cast into an even more precarious economic situation. Lack of formal documentation means they do not have work permits and cannot access formal employment. They are more likely to work in the informal economy in construction, factories, public markets, agriculture etc. Due to lockdowns and quarantines, many lost their jobs, severely impacting their livelihoods and quality of life. Further, working in the informal economy STATELESSNESS AND THE RIGHT TO NATIONALITY IN CENTRAL ASIA The primary mode of acquisition of citizenship in all Central Asian states is by descent. In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, a child born to stateless parents automatically acquires citizenship at birth, if the parents have permanent residence status.10 In Tajikistan, a child born to stateless parents on Tajik territory will acquire citizenship regardless of the parents’ residence status. Tajikistan is also the only state in the region to safeguard against statelessness in cases where a child is born to foreign parents, who cannot confer their nationality to the child.11 is automatically acquired by a child found in the state territory with unknown parents.12 Citizens of the former USSR who have not yet acquired the citizenship of the Central Asian states, can access procedures to acquire nationality through restoration (determination).13 This procedure is similar to naturalisation, requiring an application and presidential approval. In Kyr- Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan has one of the largest known stateless populations in the world, with 97,346 documented cases. But, thanks to new legislation which came into effect in April 2020, those who had been granted permanent residency in Uzbekistan before 1995 are now eligible to become citizens.21 Uzbekistan recently also amended its birth registration procedures to ensure all children are registered, including those born to undocumented parents. In December 2020, President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, announced that in 2021 the government would strengthen its efforts to end statelessness.22 He reported on a new initiative which will enable around 20,000 people who moved to Uzbekistan before 2005, to become citizens.23 THE CESF CONSORTIUM PROJECT This project, carried out by the Central Asia Network on Statelessness, aims to document and understand the exclusion of stateless people within Central Asia in the context of COVID-19. The data collected will be used as an advocacy tool to engage decision makers and place statelessness on nities and those without documentation about the importance of acquiring documentation and instructing them on what they can do. The data recorded will be utilised to raise public awareness on statelessness. Furthermore, this project will entail an international component, expanding the scale of dialogue and contributing to global conversations on addressing statelessness. falls under the competency of local citizenship determination commissions. Below, are some Kazakhstan: As of 2018, Kazakhstan was home to 7,690 stateless persons. In October 2020, the government with the help of UNHCR launched a country-wide campaign to identify stateless persons and address their situation through the as stateless.14 Kyrgyzstan: In July 2019, Kyrgyzstan became statelessness.15 In 2014, the Kyrgyz Republic initiated the pilot campaign “Door-to-door” aiming to register and document all stateless persons. 13,447 persons were granted citizenship and documentation.16 Further, Civil Acts entered into force in the Kyrgyz Republic to ensure the right to birth registration and the provision of birth sion of documents.17 Tajikistan: In July 2014, the Tajik government in collaboration with UNHCR and civil society partners launched a project to address statelessness.18 A campaign launched in November 2020 aims to raise awareness about a recently enacted Amnesty Law19 which will facilitate the resolution of the most complex cases of statelessness, allowing thousands of stateless people to obtain residence permits, and providing a potential three-year route to citizenship. As of January 2021, 50,171 persons with undetermined nationality have been registered in three target regions (15 districts) of Sughd, Khatlon provinces and Districts of Republican Subordination (DRS).20 10 UNHCR Nansen Award Laureate, Coordinator of Central Asian Network on Statelessness, Azizbek Ashurov The project is led by FVLWB, a Kyrgyzstan based NGO and active member of CANS. CANS is a network of organisations within the Central Asia region that promotes dialogue for the exchange of information to prevent and reduce statelessness. Impact The research component of this project focused on the exclusionary impact of government polshared publicly in national-level advocacy efforts to raise awareness about statelessness and the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities. The project has attracted wider public attention to the problem of statelessness and the impact of COVID-19 on stateless persons. During the research phase, relevant authorities were contacted in a bid to understand how stateless persons