B. Preventing statelessness through civil status registration and access to nationality documents   14. It is recommended that States adapt their national legislation to international standards with regards to birth registration and the fight against statelessness. It is important to overcome the current divisions between genders and to allow women to register the birth of their children (especially in the case of children born out of wedlock, single mothers or mothers who register their child alone). This can be achieved by clearly enshrining this rule in the law and by advocating to various actors, including civil service, civil society and traditional authorities, that they participate in strengthening the role and power of women in this regard. 15. It recommended that States promote the decentralization of their civil status services, including through the creation of secondary civil status centers and by involving health centers in the birth registration process. 16. Traditional authorities have a major role to play in accompanying the State in its campaign to register births, including by opposing all ritual practices that might undermine this registration process. The role of traditional authorities should be defined and clearly framed by the law in order to ensure respect for the rule of law and to avoid arbitrariness. 17. It recommended that States ensure that the birth registration process is free of charge, including civil status documents, especially birth declarations and national identity cards. 18. It is recommended that States implement awareness-raising and communication campaigns – both locally and at a larger scale – in order to involve all social groups (especially young children, youth, parents and rural populations) including through the use of media and community, NGOs and community-based organizations with the view to promote the registration of all births on the territory. 19. It is also recommended that States ensure a greater integration of their civil status services with related sectors (school, traditional and customary sectors). 20. It is recommended that the capacities of authorities be strengthened, including through specific trainings on statelessness. 21. It recommended that States strengthen partnerships between relevant actors involved in advocacy for reform of civil status and birth registration. 22. Given the dysfunctionality of civil status systems in countries in conflict situations, which typically cause a drastic drop in birth registration rates, it is recommended that States implement appropriate measures to ensure an uninterrupted and regular birth registration process even in situations of 5