ADVISORY COMMISSION ON RAKHINE STATE CITIZENSHIP Myanmar’s cultural diversity and pluralism deserve to be celebrated. A sense of identity, pride and belonging is important in all societies, particularly in times of rapid change. Yet, identity and ethnicity remain sensitive issues in Myanmar. The issue of citizenship rights remains a broad concern, and a major impediment to peace and prosperity in Rakhine. The challenges associated with rights and citizenship in Myanmar was one of the most difficult issues with which the Commission was confronted, and was the subject of intense debate. While the Commission recognizes that the issue is contentious, it cannot be ignored. Myanmar harbours the largest community of stateless people in the world, and the Commission was specifically mandated to explore this issue and provide recommendations related to citizenship and documentation and propose actions to clarify questions of citizenship. If this issue is not addressed it will continue to cause significant human suffering and insecurity, while also holding back the economic and social development of the entire state. In the short term, addressing this issue requires an acceleration of the citizenship verification process, and the Commission fully recognizes that such an exercise must be carried out under the 1982 Citizenship Law. Yet, there is also a need to revisit the law itself. 1. Citizenship Verification Based on the 1982 Citizenship Law, a citizenship verification process has been advanced by both the former and current governments. According to government figures, approximately 4,000 Muslims (as well as 9,000 Kamans) have been recognized as citizens or naturalized citizens – out of a population of around one million stateless Muslims in the state. Around 10,000 Muslims have also received National Verification Cards (NVC), considered a preparatory step for applying for citizenship. For the benefit of all communities in Rakhine – and in order to provide clarity on the legal status of all – the verification process should be accelerated. The process was first introduced in the shape of a pilot project in Myebon Township in 2014, where Temporary Resident Card (TRC)-holders were allowed to apply for citizenship on the condition that they listed their ethnicity as “Bengali”. The process was suspended following protests from both communities, but was restarted and expanded to all of Rakhine State in January 2015. After announcing the cancellation of the TRCs in February 2015, the Government started issuing its replacement – Identity Cards of 26 Towards a Peaceful, Fair and Prosperous Future for the People of Rakhine