Participatory Assessment in Operations: Overview of Issues Related to Stateless Persons The Representation of UNHCR in Kyrgyzstan October 2010 Age Gender and Diversity Mainstreaming (AGDM) is based on the understanding that people of concern must be involved in decision-making and the identification of solutions to their problems. Since 2006 the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Kyrgyz Republic has been employing AGDM through regular Participatory Assessment (PAs) meetings conducted by Multi-Functional Teams (MFT), comprised of representatives of governmental and non-governmental partners and UNHCR in various locations in the north and south of Kyrgyzstan where persons of concern reside. During 2008-2009, UNHCR commissioned surveys identified over 13,000 stateless persons1 in the Kyrgyz Republic2. In 2009 UNHCR’s operation in the Kyrgyz Republic was the first to engage in PA’s with stateless persons. Its objective was to review and deepen findings of the surveys by engaging separate age, gender and ethnic groups of stateless persons into an inter-active dialogue on their particular situation and needs. Again in 2010, focus group discussions took place on 19-20 October in Issyk-Ata, Moscow and Sokuluk Districts of Chui Province in the North of Kyrgyzstan and on 22 October in Kara-Suu District of Osh Province in the South of Kyrgyzstan. Stateless persons chose the following topics as the most relevant for these discussions: protection risks due to absence of valid identity documents (IDs) and citizenship as well as subsequent problems with employment, access to medical services, social benefits and education. The outcome was as follows: In general, all age, gender and ethnic groups expressed their concern about their absence of valid IDs as preventing them from traveling and obtaining marriage or birth certificates. Many are restricted in or deprived of social benefits (pension, child allowance, sick pay); they are more vulnerable to economic hardships and prone to lower protection from unemployment, do not have full access to education and medical services. Especially women and children suffer a lot from lacking citizenship or personal status as they are refused medical services and education or charged much higher prices like foreign citizens. Very often stateless persons cannot afford to pay for new passports and/or fines accrued after expiration of their IDs. Some stateless persons still have problems with local registration, so-called “propiska”, or lack of de-registration from former country of residence in order to apply for residence permit in Kyrgyzstan. Many stateless men in the north reported that they lost passports, or carry only expired or old Soviet passports. They face problems of acquiring of Kyrgyz citizenship due to economic problems, disabilities and complexity of rules. Many of them are at the retirement age and in vulnerable situation as lack of valid IDs or work record cards prevents them from claiming for pension. Some deliberately did not apply for Kyrgyz citizenship and/or passports to save money in order to help with documents to their children instead. Problems to obtain birth certificates by stateless people due to high cost were also reported. Sometimes, 1 2 “Stateless persons” in these Summary Results … denotes all individuals who are de jure or de facto stateless, as well as those whose nationality is not established or whose affiliation with any nationality is not properly documented. A Place to Call Home. The Situation of Stateless persons in the Kyrgyz Republic: Findings of Surveys Commissioned by the UNHCR, UNHCR, Bishkek 2009. 17 Small Changes ‫ ـ‬Big Gains: An Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Statelessness in the Kyrgyz Republic