Administrative deficiencies, such as limited access to identity documents, also present a challenge, particularly for populations in border regions. Insufficient training and supervision of registrars and service providers, inconsistent procedures across government agencies, and a lack of information on rights and services and the processes to access them constitute related barriers to nationality. Meanwhile, policy shortcomings cause additional problems. These inadequacies include the low priority given to the prevention of statelessness and documentation of at-risk populations; lack of consistent policies between the national government and local/provincial authorities; inappropriate linking of documentation of identity and nationality; little or no cooperation between levels of government; insufficient measures to address the needs of vulnerable populations; poor data collection, resulting in a poor understanding of birth registration; and the gap between the state’s international commitments and the resources devoted to meeting them in practice. These challenges are exacerbated by difficulties in gaining access to justice. Lack of legal services in areas where bad practices are likely to occur, the high cost and procedural obstacles to seeking redress through judicial mechanisms, and the modest role courts play in clarifying legal norms make it more difficult for those who suffer citizenship problems to find effective redress. In light of these challenges, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and other countries in the Americas must do more to extend good practices and policies on nationality. Such efforts must focus in particular on geographically isolated and ethnically and culturally distinct populations. States must invest greater resources in training officials, adjusting legal frameworks and administrative procedures to provide better services, and reaching underserved populations. States in the Americas have achieved great progress in increasing birth registration, and hence access to citizenship and the protections that come with it. But challenges remain. These obstacles to birth registration disproportionally affect those more likely to face discrimination, such as members of indigenous and ethnic minority groups, residents of remote areas, and the children of migrants. Changes in policy and practice are needed to address these shortcomings. BORN IN THE AMERICAS 21