23. Women who acquired Ivorian nationality through naturalisation are restricted in conferring their Ivorian nationality to their children. Currently there are two ways in which nationality can be conferred to the children of naturalised citizens. First, according to Article 45(1) of the Ivorian Nationality Code, a minor child (born in wedlock or legitimated) can acquire Ivorian nationality at the time that his or her father acquires Ivorian nationality. Second, a child of a widowed mother who acquired Ivorian nationality by naturalisation will also acquire Ivorian nationality. In other words, a woman who acquired Ivorian nationality through naturalisation cannot confer her Ivorian nationality upon her children unless her spouse has died. 24. Another concern is that the naturalisation provision is discriminatory on the basis of disability. Naturalisation is only available to persons who are free of mental or physical handicaps, pursuant to Article 32 of the 1961 Nationality Code. 25. Both the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination (CEDAW) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) have provided recommendations on issues of discrimination in nationality laws of Côte d’Ivoire. The CEDAW recommended in 2011 that Côte d’Ivoire “Repeal discriminatory provisions in the laws on nationality […] in conformity with relevant provisions of the Convention”.16 The CRC recommended in 2001, that the country “make concerted efforts at all levels to address discrimination, notably discrimination based on gender, disability, religion, and national, ethnic or social origin, through a review and reorientation of policies, including increased budgetary allocations for programmes targeting the most vulnerable groups”.17 Statelessness determination 26. No statelessness determination procedure exists under the Ivorian Nationality Code or any related legislation. Article 77 of the Nationality Code states that civil law courts have jurisdiction to preside over nationality matters in Côte d’Ivoire as it is a matter of ‘public order’. However, no mechanism exists for stateless persons to regulate their status through the courts or through an administrative process, and to benefit from protection deriving from their stateless status. Furthermore, the procedures for obtaining the necessary documentation are long, complicated, and costly. Civil registration 27. Article 9 of the Ivorian Nationality Code requires that birth and filiation must be established in accordance with Ivorian civil status law in order to have an effect with respect to nationality. However, this is likely to be challenging due to high numbers of undocumented persons in the country. Only 65% of children under the age of five have been registered at birth.18 It is unknown how many adults have a birth certificate. 16 CEDAW, C/CIV/CO/1-3 para 19(d). 17 CRC/C/15/Add.155, para. 23. 18 UNICEF, Country Profiles, Cote d’Ivoire, https://data.unicef.org/country/civ/#. 6