DESK REVIEW ON POPULATIONS AT RISK OF STATELESSNESS Recommendations a. Additional research is needed to better understand what has led to improvements for the rights and conditions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), including those who may have fallen into an undocumented status in the Gulf. Current research and stakeholder interviews indicate that substantial improvements have been achieved with regard to the situation in the Gulf countries for overseas Filipinos and children of Philippine descent over the past ten years. Additional research is needed to determine what has been effective so that such efforts can be strengthened and replicated. Evidence of improvement includes the following: (1) DNA testing and exit processing for mothers-and-children cases arranged through an inter-agency committee of the Saudi government starting in 2013 led to the repatriation of thousands of children of Philippine descent;19 and (2) a number of bilateral agreements relating to domestic workers have been signed with Gulf countries since the first was signed with Saudi Arabia in 2013, setting expectations of both parties, and establishing a Joint Committee for periodic review, monitoring, and assessment. This is not to suggest that everything is fine in the Gulf countries now. A number of concerns have still been raised during initial stakeholder interviews. Additional research will identify what led to improvements, but also identify additional areas that need to be addressed, including through proactive efforts to prevent risks of statelessness and address other challenges. b. Investigating missions like the one previously organized by the Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs should be replicated. A report was issued in 2011 based on a mission deployed to understand the conditions faced by OFWs, and to assess the performance of the Philippine Government’s responses.20 The report itself was considered controversial and not all of its recommendations were met with consensus and approval. However, given the changes that this report precipitated, investigating missions such as this one may be an effective way to better map the context and the protection needs of overseas Filipinos (OFs) and guide government policy. It is recommended that similar initiatives be proposed, perhaps in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait, and that a multi-disciplinary team, with a priority given to gender balance, support such initiatives. UNHCR in the receiving country may be able to provide vital information of the situation on the ground and should be engaged. See: Maria Caridad H. Tarroja, Discussion Paper on Undocumented Children of Overseas Filipinos, Submitted to the Council for the Welfare of Children. 19 The Condition of Overseas Filipino Workers in Saudi Arabia, Final Report of the Investigating Mission of the Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs (COWA) to Saudi Arabia, 9 February 2011. 20 UNHCR / April 2021 9