CENTRAL ASIA THIS CHAPTER LOOKS MORE CLOSELY AT RIGHT TO NATIONALITY, DOCUMENTATION AND LEGAL STATUS; RIGHT TO HEALTH AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC RIGHTS,4 AND MAKES THE FOLLOWING CALL TO ACTION TO RELEVANT GOVERNMENTS AND OTHER RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS: ENSURE EQUAL ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR ALL THOSE WITH NATIONALITY ISSUES AND EQUAL ACCESS TO SOCIAL SUPPORT PROGRAMMES IN RESPONSE TO COVID 19. UNHCR Nansen Award Laureate, Coordinator of Central Asian Network on Statelessness, Azizbek Ashurov The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and Asian states led to an increase in migration and large-scale statelessness. After its dissolution, 280 million people lost their citizenship including 60 million in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The statelessness problem in the region is largely a result of state succession with thousands left stateless or with undetermined nationality after failing to acquire the nationality of the states with which they had ties through birth, decent or habitual residence. Also impacted were labour migrants, who, on trying to move back to their ethnic homelands were no longer considered citizens as they left these homelands when they were citizens of Soviet Russia with Soviet documentation and therefore were not considered citizens of / did not hold documentation of the territories as they were re-formed to be.5 Those with nationality issues in Central Asia ID-19 pandemic. They were excluded from relief measures, as governments adopted a citizens RIGHT TO NATIONALITY, DOCUMENTATION AND LEGAL STATUS The imposed COVID-19 measures in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan were introduced via states of emergency. This affected the public documentation system, leading to the tion services in some regions. As a result of actions of the civil sector and foreign consular of6 and Kyrgyzstan7 where measures were taken to simplify the registration of foreigners (including stateless, undocumented persons and those with underdetermined nationality etc.), exempting them from renewing registration during quarantine. RIGHT TO HEALTH While the stateless, undocumented or those with undetermined nationality issues with resident status do have access to medical services if they have health insurance, the cost of medcantly. They tend to work in the informal sector with a low income, the cost of healthcare was already a barrier to access pre-COVID-19. The lack of documentation excludes many from accessing health services except in emergencies. Even in emergencies, all follow-up medical care is inaccessible. This has remained the same during COVID-19 despite the increased need for access to medical services and the likelihood of prolonged healthcare needs. Kazakhstani legislation does provide foreigners and stateless persons access to free medical care when afto others.8 Plans for universal vaccination in Central Asian countries have not yet been approved. Many people in Central Asia who have nationality issues are not currently included in the vaccination plan in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, with civil society groups dedicating their focus to strengthen such campaigns. It is encouraging that the governments of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have already included asylum seekers, refugees and stateless people in their national vaccination plans against COVID-19 on an equal basis with citizens.9 SOCIO-ECONOMIC RIGHTS Exclusion from Emergency Relief: Due to a combination of deep-rooted structural discrimination, a lack of awareness and administrative problems, those without documentation are excluded from relief measures, including UN initiatives carried out via government bodies. Throughout the pandemic, governments have IMPROVE STATELESSNESS DETERMINATION PROCEDURES TO EFFECTIVELY IDENTIFY AND DOCUMENT STATELESS PEOPLE. IN THE CASE OF KYRGYZSTAN, DEVELOP A STATELESSNESS DETERMINATION PROCEDURE TO LEGALISE STATUS AND ENSURE RIGHTS. ENSURE FULL AND EQUAL ACCESS TO ALL STATELESS AND UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE AND THOSE WITH UNDETERMINED NATIONALITY IN COVID-19 VACCINATION PROGRAMMES. INTRODUCE PROVISIONS IN HEALTH LAWS THAT ENSURE THAT STATELESS AND UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE AND THOSE WITH UNDETERMINED NATIONALITY ARE GUARANTEED FREE MEDICAL CARE ON AN EQUAL BASIS WITH CITIZENS AND REFUGEES. stateless, those at risk of statelessness, the undocumented and those with underdetermined nationality from all forms of government help measures, medical tests, social services and economic stimulus packages. Governments may need additional support during the pandemic and therefore by default, such support has been provided only to those who already ple, the disabled. Central Asian states have set up various programmes to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but many with nationality issues have been excluded. Governments provided educational materials and tools for children of vulnerable groups when schools switched to distance learning models, but the children of stateless people were excluded. An exception should be noted in Uzbekistan, where low-income stateless families were also included. Stateless and undocumented people have generally received some assistance from NGOs in the form of legal advice, small grants and sanitary supplies. 9