DESK REVIEW ON POPULATIONS AT RISK OF STATELESSNESS i. Additional research is needed to map and understand the circumstances of various groups of persons of Philippine descent in Sabah. This might include OFWs and their children, including those with a regularized status, but in particular those who are undocumented; former refugees/IMM13 card holders and their descendants who may be considered irregular migrants now; or mobile/migratory maritime peoples such as the various sub-groups of Sama Bajau people; noting that some also hold/ held IMM13 cards and that categories are not mutually exclusive and often overlap with many persons labeled irregular migrants, with often blurred lines between migratory and non-migratory contexts of statelessness (i.e. persons undocumented and at risk of statelessness who may have never crossed an international border, but may have familial or cultural links across borders). Research should engage desk review and consultation with various key stakeholders, including government representatives and experts, and importantly, including persons at risk of statelessness themselves. The desk review should engage experts, make use of existing research, and avoid duplicating past efforts, but should also address gaps in analysis. Research should also consider returning Filipinos from Sabah and engage those who support them. Given political sensitivities, research should be undertaken from a neutral, objective, principled, and rights-based perspective with a focus on persons at risk of statelessness and resolution of their risks and vulnerabilities with a particular view to legal status. j. Consider a tripartite approach, including Malaysia in the previously organized joint committee on bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Indonesia that was successful in identifying and resolving cases of PID. Universal birth registration is a principle that can garner the political will of all three countries without engaging political sensitivities or undermining policy positions. Filipinos in Sabah need to be able to secure a birth certificate and passport to access their Filipino nationality and some recognized documentation is needed in relation to the Malaysian Government to ensure a person can live normally without fear of arrest, detention, or deportation. k. Conduct regular special consular missions in countries with high numbers of undocumented Filipinos. In 2012 and in 2019, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the PSA team went to Sabah for a special mission to conduct on-site civil registration activities that included verification and issuance of delayed registration for undocumented persons of Philippine descent. This kind of mission should be replicated and continuously conducted in countries with high numbers of undocumented persons of Philippine descent. UNHCR / April 2021 13