This woman is a former Soviet citizen who came to Ukraine from the Southern Caucasus. She had no valid documents but later was found to be a citizen of Georgia and obtained a passport. Prevention of statelessness often requires examining whether a person falls under nationality laws of one or more countries. Arrangements need to be in place to protect the rights of the individual until such time as their nationality can be confirmed, or if they are found to be stateless. the 1961 Convention is neither costly nor labour intensive: for the most part the safeguards are applied automatically, just like many other provisions of nationality laws. No expensive procedures or institutions are required. The 1961 Convention does not prescribe any formal reporting obligations for States Parties. However, making information on nationality laws available to other States and UNHCR is an important means of ensuring that the safeguards are implemented correctly by all States Parties. 10 Preventing and n How does a State accede to the 1961 Convention? States may accede to the 1961 Convention at any time by depositing an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The instrument of accession must be signed by the Foreign Minister or the Head of State or Government. Further details on accession procedures and model instruments of accession can be found at www.unhcr.org/statelessness. R e d u c i n g S t a t e l e ss n e ss