ethodology was selected – rather than a quantitative one – as the nderstanding of the ways in which statelessness and the risk of e refugee population, and of efforts being undertaken to address 20 of particularproblems. UNDERSTANDING STATELESSNESS IN THE SYRIA REFUGEE CONTEXT ion of issues, drew on the expertise developed by the Norwegian f programmes to refugees displaced Syria. Through Thefrom research design, and its the initial identification of issues, drew on the expertise developed nce (ICLA) programmes, NRC provides counsellingRefugee and legalCouncil (NRC) in the delivery of programmes to refugees displaced by the Norwegian Syria. its Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) programmes, NRC related to legal identity, includingfrom access to Through civil registration, and legal and the prevention of statelessnessprovides as well counselling as issues related to representation services to refugees on issues related to legal identity, access to civil registration, documentation and identification, nationality and amme has been providing information on andincluding helping to facilitate prevention of statelessness as well as issues related to legal status. In Lebanon, the NRC through various NRC Community the Centres and outreach across ICLA programme has been providing information on and helping to facilitate access to birth 00 refugees have been reached, with around 15% receiving registration since May 2012, through various NRC Community Centres and outreach across entation. Since it was set up in 2013, the ICLA programme in different areas of the country. Over 550,000 refugees have been reached, with around 15% 23,000 Syrian refugees, with over 50% of cases concerning civil receiving counselling on civil registration and documentation. Since it was set up in 2013, the es support to Syrians on a wide range of legal identity and civil ICLA programme in Jordan has provided 71,000 services to over 23,000 Syrian refugees, with ncern birth certificates with a further 22% concerning marriage civil documentation. While the programme provides support to over 50% of cases concerning Syrians on a wide range of legal identity and civil documentation issues, over 70% of cases concern birth certificates with a further 22% concerning marriage certificates. countries included rocedures, les. Field and July eirut), the Dohuk and bid). Two data was ews with e refugee ws with nterviews ce to the who face 5 affected A desk review was conducted for all of the countries studied in this project. The desk research included existing literature, documented policies and procedures, situational statistics, and refugee case profiles. Field research was then carried out between May and July 2016 in Lebanon (in Akkar, Baalbeck and Beirut), the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), in Erbil, Dohuk and Sulimaniya and Jordan (in Amman and Irbid). Two weeks were spent in each country and data was collected through key informant interviews with selected stakeholders who work with the refugee population and semi-structured interviews with refugees. Refugees chosen for these interviews represented profiles of particular relevance to the research (e.g. stateless refugees and refugees who face a heightened risk of statelessness).20 In total, 35 affected persons were interviewed. In each country, a validation workshop, in the form of a consultative roundtable was held following completion of the interviews with affected persons. These roundtables brought together various stakeholders – national civil society organisations, international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and United Nations (UN) agencies – to provide feedback and comments form of a consultative roundtable was held following completion on the data collected and preliminary research findings.21 The roundtable participants were se roundtables brought together various stakeholders – national also invited to discuss what might be useful for their work in terms of elements of a toolkit. Due to the limitations of the research project and the lack of NRC country operations in Egypt and Turkey, review in two countries was complemented by a number of key informant tatelessness among those inside Syria is a significant issue.the For desk more discussion on these this CR, Civil Status Documentation in Non-Government Areas of Northern Syria, 2016, interviews which were conducted via electronic communications and no in-country activities or 0864/IRC-Full-Assessment-Civil-Status-Documentation-in-Non-Government-Areas-ininterviews with affected persons were carried out. In total, 33 key stakeholders were interviewed in the five selected countries. elessness issues in the context of the Syrian displacement throughout the region has not 22 an insight into how widespread certain relevant problems are among particular segments ivil registration procedures, UNHCR, Multi-Sector Needs Assessment of Syrian Refugees Following completion of the desk and field research phases of the project, a regional expert 2015, available at: http://www.reachresourcecentre.info/system/files/resourcearch2015_3.pdf; and for an assessment of birthroundtable registration needs in Lebanon, see the was convened to discuss and reflect on the findings. This was held in Amman on es of birth registration in Lebanon for refugees from Syria, supra n16. Some statistical 20-21 September 2016 and attended by 30 participants.23 The roundtable brought together number of persons reached through related assistance programmes is also provided in stakeholders with expertise from working directly with the refugee population in the target rth Africa, 2016, supra n15. esearch participants. In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, NRC does not have a Syrian refuwere contacted to identify individuals whose profiles were relevant to the project and 20 21 22 23 14 RESEARCH REPORT for refugees from Syria, supra n16. Some statistical information on both the scale of particular problems 11 reached through related assistance programmes is also provided in UNHCR, and the number of persons Addressing Statelessness in the Middle East and North Africa, supra n14. Where possible ICLA case databases were used to identify research participants. In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, NRC does not have a Syrian refugee database and therefore other NGOs working with refugees were contacted to identify individuals whose profiles were relevant to the project and who could be included in the research. See Annex 2 for a list of those who attended each of these national consultative roundtables. See Annex 1 for a full list of the interviews conducted in the course of this project. See Annex 3 for a list of the participants in the Regional Expert Roundtable.