Cover photo: Among those left stateless after the dissolution of the USSR were Tajik refugees who fled to Kyrgyzstan in the early 1990s. As a result of changes in the law and assistance from UNHCR, close to 10,000 have acquired Kyrgyz citizenship, including this former Tajik refugee and his grandson. He is the proud owner of many hand-made blankets, symbols of wealth in Central Asia. UNHCR / A. PLOTNIKOV Back cover photo: Nguyen Thi Diem Chi and her daughter at their house in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Like thousands of other Vietnamese women, Chi married a Taiwanese man and renounced her Vietnamese nationality in order to naturalize in Taiwan. The marriage collapsed before Chi could acquire Taiwanese nationality and she was left stateless. UNHCR discussed this issue with the Vietnamese Government. The new Law on Vietnamese Nationality now prevents Vietnamese citizens from renouncing their nationality unless they have acquired another nationality. Women like Chi can now also apply for restoration of their Vietnamese nationality. UNHCR / K. MCKINSEY 2

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