with involvement of experts from the central bodies
of the executive branch, civil society and UNHCR.
When the bill is signed into law, it will allow stateless persons to obtain a temporary residence permit
(TRP) as well as a travel document. After two years
on TRP, recognized stateless persons will be eligible
to obtain a permanent residence permit, valid for ten
years. Applicants are provided free interpretation,
legal representation and translation services and
are exempt from administrative fees. They will also
be able to work legally as soon as they receive their
TRP. UNHCR will assist in drafting the by-law for the
implementation of the new law.
With regard to Action 7, Ensure birth registration for
the prevention of statelessness, UNHCR provided
support to several governments in issuing birth certificates to populations at risk of statelessness.
In Burkina Faso, progress has resumed on the joint
UNHCR and Government project to deliver 30,000
late birth certificates and 20,000 National ID cards
to IDPs and host communities. Despite disruption
caused by the onset of the pandemic, 8,260 late
birth certificates have been provided, and registration for ID cards is ongoing in the Nord, Centre-Nord
and Boucle du Mouhoun regions. In the Kayes region
of Mali, UNHCR supported late birth registration for
400 refugees at risk of statelessness in collaboration
with the High Court of Kayes and the city councils of
Djelebou and Samé Diongoma.
In line with Action 7, in South Africa, the NGO
Lawyers for Human Rights has successfully litigated
concerning the right of unmarried fathers to register
the birth of their children in the case of Naki & Others
v. The Minister of Home Affairs & Others. On 19 May,
the Makhanda High Court handed down a judgment
confirming the equal right of unmarried fathers to
register the births of their children born out of wedlock. This outcome will result in the amendment of
section 10 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act
which currently discriminates against unmarried
fathers.
Nina, an undocumented mother, is holding the birth certificate of her
son, obtained thanks to recent reforms in Kazakhstan that will ensure
universal birth registration. © Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human
Rights and Rule of Law
Likouala and Plateaux. These registers will allow local authorities to issue birth certificates to more than
1,000 children.
Regarding Action 7, in June the Ministry of Justice of
Kazakhstan amended a by-law to implement recently enacted provisions in the Code on Marriage and
Family that guarantee the registration at birth of all
children born in Kazakhstan regardless of the legal
or documentation status of their parents. The new
provisions are an important contribution to the prevention of childhood statelessness in the country.
With respect to Action 7, the Parliament of the Republic of Congo adopted a budget law that removes
fees associated with birth registration. In addition,
UNHCR facilitated the dispatch of birth registers to
the most remote locations in the Republic of Congo:
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