naturalized. Moreover, national laws in many countries do not permit refugees to be naturalized. Therefore, the naturalization of refugees is both under-reported and restricted. Nevertheless, the limited data on the naturalization of refugees available to UNHCR show that during the past decade more than 1.3 million refugees were granted citizenship by their country of asylum. The United States of America alone accounted for more than half of this figure. During 2009, the United Republic of Tanzania granted citizenship to 155,000 Burundian refugees, a major breakthrough for this refugee population living in exile since 1972. The United States of America also granted citizenship to a significant number of refugees in 2009 (55,300). In addition, UNHCR was informed of refugees being granted citizenship in Belgium (2,200), Ireland (730), Armenia (400), and the Russian Federation (370), during 2009. V. Age and sex characteristics UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations pay particular attention to collecting demographic information in monitoring and addressing the specific situation of displaced women and children. Topics such as the situation of unaccompanied and separated children, sexual and gender-based violence, the recruitment of children into armed forces, girl’s schooling, equal access to services for women and men, and the participation of refugee women in decision-making bodies, have been placed at the top of the humanitarian response agenda. Data on geographical locations is crucial for identifying gaps in interventions as well as interpreting differences between and within countries. Recent initiatives such as the European Commission’s proposed Action Plan on Unaccompanied Minors (2010-2014) and the High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges (December 2009) for refugees in urban areas, reflect the increasing need for demographic and locationdisaggregated data. This section analyses demographic and location data availability and highlights some of the most relevant patterns relating to the characteristics of UNHCR’s populations of concern. Eritrean refugees arriving in Mai Ayni camp, Ethiopia. UNHCR / F. COURBET 2009 Global Trends 13