No.101 (LV) – 2004 (k) Notes the importance of ensuring nationality; and urges countries of origin to ensure that there is no exclusion of returning refugees from nationality and that statelessness is thus avoided; and recalls in this context Conclusion No. 78 (XLVI) on the prevention and reduction of statelessness and the protection of stateless persons; (l) Notes also the importance of providing under national law for the recognition of the civil status of returning refugees and changes thereto, including as a result of births, deaths, adoptions, marriage and divorce, as well as of documentation or registration proving that status, issued by the competent bodies in the country of asylum or elsewhere, taking into account the special situation of returning refugee women who may not have documentation proving their civil status or who may face difficulties securing recognition of documentation issued by the authorities of the country of asylum; No.99 (LV) – 2004 (z) Welcomes the accession of Uruguay and the Czech Republic to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and of Liberia and Lesotho to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness; and encourages UNHCR, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1954 Convention, to renew its efforts to promote further accession to both Conventions; (aa) Welcomes the publication in March 2004 of the final report of UNHCR's global survey on statelessness as an important step towards establishing a common understanding of a problem affecting all regions of the world; and calls on UNHCR to continue to provide technical and operational support to States with the aim of avoiding and resolving statelessness and furthering the protection of stateless persons, in particular in view of the limited number of States Parties to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness; (bb) Notes with concern that many situations of statelessness are of a protracted nature and invites UNHCR to pay particular attention to them and to explore with concerned States measures that would ameliorate those situations and bring them to an end. No.96 (LIV) – 2003 (h) Refers to its Conclusion No. 78 (XLVI) on the prevention and reduction of statelessness and protection of stateless persons, and urges States to take steps to avoid cases of statelessness as well as to adopt measures leading to the grant of a legal status to stateless persons; (j) Recommends, depending on the situation, that UNHCR complement the efforts of States in the return of persons found not to be in need of international protection by: • Promoting with States those principles which bear on their responsibility to accept back their nationals, as well as principles on the reduction of statelessness; - 10 -