. Identification re ention and reduction o state essness with due respect for international standards on personal data safety and protection); — determining causes and obstacles to solutions to statelessness (gaps in legislation, administrative practice, etc.); — uncovering any protection issues faced; and — identifying all stakeholders (affected persons, governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society, etc.). Good practice: Tajikistan takes steps to resolve statelessness In recent years, the Government of Tajikistan has made continued efforts to address the statelessness situation in the country. In 2014, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Apparatus of the President, together with UNHCR, launched a national pilot project to better understand the scope of the phenomenon in regions where a high number of stateless or at risk populations are estimated. Between 2014 and mid-2016, with the participation of the Government of Tajikistan, civil society organizations and with UNHCR’s technical support, about 22,000 people were identified as persons with undetermined nationality, including former USSR passport holders. 3,400 people submitted their applications to confirm nationality and the nationalities of over 2,100 people were confirmed by mid-2016. The support of local authorities, including khukumat (local executive bodies) and jamoat (administrative divisions) was critical to the success of the project. In August 2015, a new Constitutional Law “On Nationality of the Republic of Tajikistan” was adopted. The new law contains a number of safeguards for the prevention and reduction of statelessness in the country. For example, the provision whereby nationals residing abroad for five years could be deprived of their nationality if they failed to register with Tajik consular authorities was removed. Furthermore, the Government, through an Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Nationality/ Statelessness, co-chaired by the Apparatus of the 43