UNHCR: Central Asia may become the first region in the world to eradicate statelessness
UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, today on Tuesday in Almaty representatives of the governments of Central Asian countries, civil society and other UN agencies for a round table on the eradication of statelessness with the participation of high-level officials.
The event was attended by representatives of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
The exchange of views and information is aimed at achieving the goal of eliminating statelessness in the subregion by 2024, as stipulated by the UNHCR Global Action Plan. National and international experts shared their practical experience and studied strategies for effectively solving the problem.
It was about ensuring universal birth registration, strengthening legal guarantees, promoting accession to the conventions on statelessness, improving data and statistics on statelessness, as well as developing obligations related to statelessness for the Global Refugee Forum to be held in Geneva at the end of this year. During the discussions, the importance of cooperation and data-based approaches for the protection of human rights and the prevention of statelessness in the Central Asian subregion was emphasized.
According to the UNHCR Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Indrika Ratwatte, Central Asia may well become the first region in the world to put an end to statelessness.
The experience of Turkmenistan deserves special attention in this context. In general, over the past 15 years, more than 28 thousand people have received citizenship of Turkmenistan. Last year alone, in 2022, 1,530 representatives of 25 nationalities received Turkmen citizenship.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi believes that such efforts of the country deserve international recognition and can be an example for other states.
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