JULY – DECEMBER 2025 Houkouk in collaboration with legal experts and submitted to Parliament in June 2025 by four Members of Parliament - was presented as a coherent and constitutionally grounded alternative to the current fragmented framework. The proposed law seeks to consolidate nationality-related provisions currently scattered across multiple legal texts, reinforce constitutional principles of equality—particularly gender equality—and clarify procedures governing the acquisition, recognition, and loss of nationality. In doing so, it aims to reduce discretionary practices, prevent and reduce statelessness, and align nationality regulation with constitutional guarantees and international standards. Participants emphasized the importance of sustained dialogue-based advocacy and expanding parliamentary support as critical next steps to advance the proposal and strengthen the rule of law. On 1 December 2025, the Philippines launched its updated National Action Plan to End Statelessness (NAP). Building on the gains of the past decade and in response to emerging needs, the Philippine Government has updated its NAP, ensuring that no one is without a nationality. The updated NAP is aligned with the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2.0 and reflects a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. On 10 July 2025, the Public Forum and Official Launch of the Civil Society Network on Statelessness – Philippines (CSNSP) was held at the UP Law Center in Quezon City. The event officially launched the CSNSP as a platform uniting civil society organizations to complement government efforts in implementing the National Action Plan to End Statelessness. Over 15 civil society organizations renewed their commitment to the Network through a ceremonial pledge, witnessed by more than 100 participants from government, civil society, affected communities, and partners. In Papua New Guinea, the Government invited UNHCR to share its technical advice on Constitutional reforms to align its citizenship framework with international standards, which were shared by UNHCR in December. In Burkina Faso, UNHCR supported the Government, through the Directorate General for the Modernization of Civil Status (DGMEC), in establishing the “Civil Documentation and Legal Identity” working group to strengthen coordination on civil documentation. The group held its first UNHCR / DIPS Statelessness Section session on 21 October 2025 under the leadership of DGMEC and the co-lead of the Protection Cluster. The platform facilitated discussions on the national civil status strategy and the Government’s priorities on civil documentation. In Mali, following the adoption of Law No. 2025006 of 22 May 2025 on the Status of Stateless Persons, awareness-raising sessions were held with judicial authorities, lawyers, human rights associations, and civil society. A workshop also advanced the establishment of the National Commission in charge of Stateless Persons. A draft decree is under review and validation before submission to the Minister of Justice for signature. Between July and December 2025, UNHCR continued to advocate for solutions to emerging statelessness risks among children in Zambia after several minors lost their Indian nationality when their parents renounced it to acquire Zambian citizenship. Zambian law prevents children under 18 from applying for citizenship by registration. UNHCR has engaged the Government to explore options such as issuing passports or alternative documentation to ensure the children’s access to national services and has encouraged the authorities to liaise with the Indian High Commission to identify potential remedies to this protection gap. On 31 December 2025, Eastern Africa Nationality Network (EANN) conducted a training for journalist bringing together journalists from different parts of Kenya, mainly Nairobi and the Coast region, alongside lived-experience voices and community paralegals to learn from each other and share best practices. The workshop highlighted the importance of reporting statelessness effectively to promote and accelerate joint action to end statelessness in Kenya and Eastern Africa. In Armenia, in December 2025, UNHCR, Mission Armenia NGO, and the European Network on Statelessness co-hosted a meeting of the InterAgency Working Group on Statelessness to mark the launch of Armenia’s Statelessness Index. The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to ending statelessness, highlighting recent legislative amendments that strengthen safeguards in renunciation and deprivation of nationality and have reduced the number of stateless persons. In the Index, Armenia received full scores for safeguards against statelessness in deprivation cases, adoption, and the application of ius sanguinis to children born abroad. 10