JULY – DECEMBER 2025 intervention addressed cases of non-issuance of birth certificates, which is a significant legal issue among refugees in Algeria. By ensuring timely birth registration, these efforts prevent childhood statelessness and uphold the right to legal identity. On 18 December 2025, the Jordan operation successfully engaged with the Ministry of Interior’s Legal Department to provide an overview of the League of Arab States Declaration (LAS Declaration) on legal identity and belonging, which asserts every child’s right to birth registration and nationality. The declaration also emphasizes equality before the law, the protection of children and women, and its alignment with international obligations and the Sustainable Development Goals. This engagement took place with the Head of the Legal Department of the Ministry of Interior at UNHCR premises, in the presence of the Refugee Affairs Coordinator and the legal service providers (Norwegian Refugee Council, Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development, and Justice Centre for Legal Aid). This important gathering not only disseminated vital information on the LAS Declaration but also addressed persistent challenges related to civil documentation, setting the agenda for these issues to be discussed in a subsequent meeting with the Civil Status and Passport Department. This is key achievement for UNHCR and its legal partners that will have a direct positive impact on refugees. In Libya, birth registration is mandatory at the Civil Registry, and the issuance of birth certificates is governed by Law No. 36 of 1968. However, refugee children especially those born out of wedlock face significant challenges in obtaining birth certificates because the primary responsibility for registering a birth with the civil registry lies with the child’s father. Another significant challenge for refugees in Libya in accessing the civil registry system is their legal status. The majority of refugees enter the country irregularly, which is considered a violation of national law. This legal barrier often prevents them from registering vital events or obtaining official documentation. UNHCR continues to advocate with the Libyan authorities to ensure their official registration and issuance of birth certificates, helping to prevent the risk of statelessness, in the absence of official birth certificates, UNHCR issues its own certificates to these children. From July to November 2025, UNHCR Morocco supported refugee and asylum-seeker families in UNHCR / DIPS Statelessness Section overcoming challenges to ensure the registration of their children. A total of 66 new parents benefited from administrative and/or judicial assistance provided by UNHCR’s legal partner to obtain birth documentation (notices and/or birth certificates) for their newborns. Additionally, UNHCR carried out advocacy and capacitybuilding initiatives to identify children at risk of statelessness in Morocco and secure their birth registration. In 2025, UNHCR legal assistance program in Syria, aimed at supporting birth registration as a measure to prevent statelessness among children, supported the birth registration of 34 refugees and asylum-seekers and 8,387 returnee and IDP children through assistance before administrative bodies or via court interventions. In October and November, UNHCR Yemen engaged with the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG) to address systemic barriers to birth registration affecting refugee children born to a parent or parents without marriage certificate recognized in Yemen, in particular, children born to Christian refugee parents and those born as a result of rape. This sustained advocacy resulted in agreement to convene a high-level interministerial meeting in 2026 aimed at identifying concrete solutions and enabling access to birth registration for affected children. During the reporting period, to promote timely registration, UNHCR Yemen included the integration of birth registration awareness into routine service delivery, alongside the use of noncash incentives, such as baby kits and schoolrelated items. Between July and December, UNHCR and partners in Yemen supported the birth registration of more than 540 refugee and asylum-seeking children through legal counselling, assistance with document preparation, and interpretation services. In September, UNHCR Yemen worked with the Civil Registry Authority of the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG) to address challenges in issuing birth certificates for refugees in Kharaz camp. The IRG implemented a new biometric system that had requirements, including documentation, that is not available to refugees. As an interim solution, the CRA agreed to continue issuing refugee birth certificates through its main office in Aden using the previous system until alternative arrangements are identified. 5