Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 18, CRPD).The right to a nationality is also protected in the Universal Declaration on Human rights under Article 15 (UDHR). Zimbabwe does not have any reservations to these treaties. 8. Zimbabwe is not a party to the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (ICMW) nor to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), which stipulate children’s right to a nationality.11 9. Zimbabwe is party to the following regional conventions, which includes provisions on the right to nationality: I. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which calls for the elimination of all discrimination on the basis of sex; II. The 2003 Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Article 6); III. The 1990 African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (Article 6). 10. In 2016, the CRC Committee recommended that Zimbabwe undertakes measures so that all children born in its territory have the right to be registered at birth regardless of the parents’ citizenship status or their country of origin and that they have equal access to health care, protection, education and other social services.12 Also, Zimbabwe was recommended to consider the ratification of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and amend its domestic legislation with regards to nationality to ensure for all children to enjoy the acquisition of a nationality.13 The Committee also recommended Zimbabwe to seek technical assistance from the UNHCR and UNICEF to implement these recommendations.14 Regarding birth registration more specifically, the Committee recommended Zimbabwe to “ensure that the Births and Deaths Registration Act (2005) is implemented in a manner that promotes the best interests of the child and simplifies the administrative requirements for the registration and issuance of birth certificates; equip decentralized government authorities and health facilities at the local level to register births and issue birth certificates; strengthen and expand mobile birth registration to reach universal coverage, in particular for registering children born outside of health facilities and children who have never been registered; increase public awareness of the importance of birth registration and the process by which births are registered”.15 11. In 2000, the CERD recommended that Zimbabwe review it citizenship laws in order to eliminate any form of discrimination. It also invited Zimbabwe to provide additional information in the periodic report ahead of the 40th session, on the relevant legislative measures available to ensure the protection of rights. 16 11 Article 29 ICMW, Article 15(4) ICPPED. Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Zimbabwe, CRC/C/ZWE/CO/2, 7 March 2016, recommendation 37(a). Committee noted its concern about reports that children born on territory to parents with indeterminate nationality have been denied the right to birth registration and acquisition of Zimbabwean nationality, affecting their access to health care, education and other social services. The Committee further noted the absence of legislative provisions to ensure that children born stateless in Zimbabwe can acquire a nationality. 13 Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Zimbabwe, CRC/C/ZWE/CO/2, 7 March 2016, recommendation 37(b). 14 Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Zimbabwe, CRC/C/ZWE/CO/2, 7 March 2016, recommendation 37(c). 15 Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Zimbabwe, CRC/C/ZWE/CO/2, 7 March 2016, recommendation 35. 16 Consideration of reports submitted by states parties under article 9 of the Convention, CERD/C/304/add.92, 19 April 2000, para.12. 12 2