On 19 December in Belgium, UNHCR and its partner Nansen held a training on statelessness, marking the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Convention relating to the status of stateless persons and the recent adoption of a new residence permit law. While the law introduced some positive elements, some new conditions and criteria could weaken protection of stateless persons. The training covered statelessness causes, legal frameworks, and procedures, with around 60 participants, including judges, CGRS staff, civil society, and lawyers. Discussions focused on challenges in implementing the law. In Croatia, on 6 December, 11 Ministry of Interior staff working in three detention centers participated in a training on working with people with specific needs, with a focus on statelessness. The session was organized by UNHCR, the Croatian Red Cross, and the Civil Rights Project Sisak. On 12 November, UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Europe facilitated a half-day training on statelessness for UNHCR and NGO partner staff at the UNHCR Office in Malta. The training, attended by 16 participants, covered key concepts related to nationality and statelessness, UNHCR’s mandate, the legal framework, the #IBelong Campaign, and plans for 2024 and beyond. The session concluded with an update from UNHCR Malta on a strategic meeting with the Government, highlighting the need for a collaborative approach to ensure the effective implementation of procedures. In October, in South Africa, UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Southern Africa organized an online training with the University of Cape Town for over 20 participants on statelessness identification and response. On 3-4 December 2024, in Kiribati, UNHCR held a two-day training on statelessness, refugee protection, and international law for government officials. Special focus was given to the intersection of climate change and statelessness, a critical issue for the Pacific region. Kiribati, one of only two Oceania states party to both the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions, also engaged in discussions on reforming genderdiscriminatory nationality laws that prevent women from conferring nationality to children born abroad to non-national fathers. In Uzbekistan, on 13 December, UNHCR convened a training on statelessness and asylum: legal insights training for 38 students at the University of world economy and diplomacy’s Legal Clinic, covering international legal frameworks, strategic litigation, and tools to address nationality and statelessness cases. On 16 September 2024, UNHCR trained 25 Ministry of Internal Affairs staff from various regions in Uzbekistan on the identification and rights of stateless people, as well as statelessness determination procedures. In Burkina Faso, from 11 to 15 November 2024, in collaboration with UNHCR and local authorities, the General Directorate for the modernization of civil status (DGMEC) organized capacity-building sessions for civil registry actors and health professionals in four regions—Boucle du Mouhoun (Dédougou), North Center (Kaya), East (Fada N’Gourma), and Hauts-Bassins (Bobo-Dioulasso). A total of 178 participants, including 35 women, took part in the trainings, which covered civil registration procedures, roles of key actors, and challenges such as delays in document issuance, administrative inconsistencies, and poor maintenance of registers. Between 19–22 November and on 12 December 2024, seven awareness-raising sessions were conducted for affected and host communities on the importance of civil documentation, timely registration of civil status events, and the risks of documentation fraud. These sessions engaged 513 participants, including traditional and religious leaders, civil society representatives, civil registry officials, and crisis-affected populations. Key topics included procedures for birth registration and other civil status events; issuance of the Burkinabe National Identity Card; nationality acquisition processes and obtaining a certificate of Burkinabe nationality; the role of customary and religious leaders and civil society in promoting civil documentation. In Guinea-Bissau, from 26–28 November 2024, UNHCR and the National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons convened a workshop with officials from the Ministry of Justice and Interior, Parliament, and civil society organizations. The workshop strengthened knowledge on statelessness and resulted in an action plan to establish a National Commission on Statelessness. The meeting was chaired by the national statelessness focal point. UNHCR > The Campaign to End Statelessness | October – December 2024 Update 17