AHMR African Human Mobility Review - Volume 11 No 2, MAY-AUGUST 2025 has undertaken various exercises to provide documentation, birth registration, and national IDs in collaboration with the UNHCR and the Catholic University of Mozambique – an example of effective multi-stakeholder collaboration. Since 2021, more than 45,000 identity documents and birth certificates have been issued to both those displaced by ongoing conflict and host communities. Additionally, several projects have been launched in Mozambique, with funding and infrastructure from the Vodafone Foundation and the Instant Network School, to expand access to digital education services for refugees. The following section thematizes the pledges made by SADC states toward addressing statelessness at the Forums and the 2019 High-Level Segment and highlights examples of pledge implementation. There is still a lack of reliable implementation data on the pledges made at the 2023 Forum and on the long-term impacts of the 2019 pledges; thus, more research is required. Emphasis in this section is placed on pledges that have been fully or partially implemented, unless mentioned otherwise, as this reflects this paper’s aim. As mentioned below, most pledges have not been implemented; therefore, this is not a comprehensive report of all of the pledges made. THEMATIC PRIORITIES OF PLEDGES Develop and strengthen systems for the identification and protection of stateless migrants Most stateless persons remain in the country of their birth; however, some move and become migrants or refugees. The majority of persons are not recognized as stateless; resultantly, they are faced with serious human rights violations due to their lack of legal status. In terms of the 1954 Statelessness Convention, states should establish procedures to determine who is stateless. In this way, stateless migrants will be able to acquire legal status in the country in which they find themselves and be able to enjoy basic human rights. Statelessness determination procedures are recommended for stateless persons in migratory situations. It is not a suitable procedure for situations with large-scale in situ stateless populations. In terms of a long-term solution, states are encouraged to facilitate the naturalization of recognized stateless persons. Zambia, one of the CRRF pilot countries, in implementing its pledge at the 2019 High-Level Segment toward greater access to birth registration and certification for persons born in the territory, has undertaken exercises to register births and issue birth certificates and refugee documents at the Mohebi, Mantapala and Mayukwayukwa refugee settlements. This involved the introduction of a new system to register and issue birth certificates on the spot (UNHCR, 2022). In service of its pledge at the 2019 High-Level Segment, the DRC registered 1,278 children, including 609 girls and 669 boys, of whom 512 were internally displaced children, 457 were repatriated children, and 309 were children from host communities (UNHCR, 2024). Eswatini committed to preventing and eradicating statelessness by conducting a 122

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