programmes in their area.73 The Ombudsman also pointed out that municipalities often were not inclined to license special curricula in mainstream schools, and that parents often had to resort to sending their children to special schools located in other districts.74 The foregoing concerns were confirmed by the Commissioner’s civil society interlocutors during his visit. 79. The National Development Plan 2014-2020 and the Education Development Guidelines 2014–2020 list inclusive education among the different government priorities. The government acknowledges the inadequate level of development of support services for children with special needs, and emphasises the necessity to invest in professional staff and raise awareness about persons with special needs.75 During the visit, the authorities indicated that several services, including psychological and sign language interpretation, had been introduced since 2011. In 2014, 12.1 % of teachers expressed the need for further training on teaching students with special needs, and there were several education programmes designed for that purpose. 80. According to the Ministry of Education, the negative demographic trends indicating a decline in births provide an additional incentive to adapt curricula to accommodate children with special needs, in order to avoid school closures due to an insufficient number of students. In the academic year 2015/2016 there were 11 846 students with special needs integrated in mainstream schools and classes from grades 1 to 12. 81. Several interlocutors, including the Ombudsman, reported particular problems with implementation of the requirement to provide education in the nearest mainstream school in the municipality where children reside. Justifications for the foregoing, as cited by many schools, were: inadequate support services for the accommodation of children with special needs; unavailability of licensed programmes for children with visual and hearing impairments; and the availability of special schools in other districts, which - according to them - could better serve children with special needs. The Commissioner was also informed about attempts of undue influence or pressure upon parents to enroll children in special education schools due to an unwillingness or inability of mainstream schools to license special programmes. 2.5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 73 82. While Latvia does have a strong institutional and policy framework for the protection of children’s rights, there is a considerable gap between the stated policies and their implementation. The Commissioner urges the authorities to address this matter, and to ensure that all children are in a position to effectively enjoy all human rights. It is especially important to improve coordination between national and municipal authorities aimed at ensuring sufficient staff and expertise to provide child-focused social services in all municipalities. 83. The Latvian authorities have the responsibility to prevent statelessness among children. Whereas the amendments to the Citizenship Law have simplified granting citizenship to stateless children born to “non-citizen” parents, the requirement for at least one parent to formally request registration as a citizen for new-born children still results in the transmission of statelessness in part of the population. The Commissioner urges the authorities to address this issue as a matter of priority and to make the citizenship registration procedure for new born-children of “non-citizen” parents entirely automatic. Such a measure would be in line with the principle of the best interests of the child and will ensure access to the full enjoyment of all human rights for all children born in Latvia. Pending such changes to the procedure, the Commissioner calls on the authorities to step up awareness-raising efforts on this issue and design effective communication strategies to reach out to “non-citizen” parents. 84. The Commissioner is concerned about the practice of institutionalisation of orphans and children without parental care, especially those under the age of 3. He would like to refer to the prevailing opinion among experts that alternative care for young children, especially those under the age of 3 years, should be provided in family-based settings. He encourages the authorities to refrain from Report on the Year 2013 by the Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia 74 The Ombudsman’s submission within the framework of the 2nd cycle of the UN Universal Periodic Review. 75 Latvia: Education for All 2015 National Review, report submitted in response to UNESCO’s invitation to its Member States to assess progress made since 2000 towards achieving Education for All (EFA). 18