DESK REVIEW ON POPULATIONS AT RISK OF STATELESSNESS Under Article 2, those born in Qatar to unknown parents shall “…be deemed to be a naturalized Qatari,” and this includes foundlings who are considered to be born in Qatar if found in Qatar unless proven otherwise. It is worth noting that naturalized Qataris never receive entirely equal rights with naturalborn citizens. Under Article 16, “Naturalized Qataris shall not be equated with Qatari nationals in terms of the right to work in public positions or work in general until five years after the date of naturalization… [and] Naturalized Qataris shall not be entitled to participate in elections or nominations or be appointed in any legislative body.” B.4. Saudi Arabia B.4.a. General Background Saudi Arabia is consistently listed as the top destination country among OFWs, with 24.3% of the global total, or nearly a quarter, working there. There are approximately 800,000 overseas Filipinos in Saudi Arabia.148 Many are working in construction, others are working in medical or engineering fields, but majority are domestic workers.149 A report issued by the Philippine government in 2011 emphasized that “[t]he importance of the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] to the Philippine economy can never be emphasized enough.”150 In describing the conditions for OFWs in Saudi Arabia, the same report described legal and cultural discrimination for those in the professional class of workers, and that, “low-skilled workers, especially domestic workers… appear to exist in a world of permanent crisis.” Particular attention was drawn to unregistered children of Philippine descent who are stuck in the country due to a lack of Iqama (residence certificates).151 The most recent results of the 2019 Survey on Overseas Filipinos released by the PSA on 4 June 2020 reports that 46% of total remittances coming into the Philippines, come from “Western Asia” (primarily from Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE).152 Philippine Statistics Authority, Statistical Tables, TABLE 3 Distribution of Overseas Filipino Workers by Region of Origin and Place of Work Abroad: 2019, 4 June 2020, available at: https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/survey/labor-and-employment/surveyoverseas-filipinos/table. 148 149 Ibid. “The Condition of Overseas Filipino Workers in Saudi Arabia,” Final Report of the Investigating Mission of the Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs (COWA) to Saudi Arabia, 9-13 January 2011. 150 See: Chapter 5 (“The Condition of Overseas Filipino Workers in Saudi Arabia,” Final Report of the Investigating Mission of the Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs (COWA) to Saudi Arabia, 9-13 January 2011). 151 Philippine Statistics Authority, 2019 Survey on Overseas Filipinos, the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), 4 June 2020: https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/survey/labor-and-employment/survey-overseas-filipinos. 152 48 UNHCR / April 2021