Today, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, presented the results of a joint large-scale identification campaign conducted in 2020-2022 in Kazakhstan, which helped to identify 8,822 undocumented stateless persons. As a result, 4,800 people confirmed their citizenship of Kazakhstan, and about 2,700 people received assistance with documentation.
The campaign, launched in October 2020, was aimed at identifying stateless persons and providing them with legal assistance. The campaign was initiated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs as part of Kazakhstan’s contribution to the UNHCR’s #IBelong global campaign to end statelessness by 2024 and implemented in partnership with the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR), the Legal Center for Women’s Initiatives “Sana Sezim” and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan with support of UNHCR.
In 2021-2022, UNHCR and its partners, together with the migration services, visited 15 regions of Kazakhstan to provide legal advice and assistance to stateless persons, as well as raise awareness on the issue of statelessness.
Denis Zhivaga, Deputy Director of KIBHR , noted: “This campaign has shown very well that the interaction of State bodies, international organizations and NGOs can be effective in protecting the rights of citizens when there is a common goal. I hope that even after the completion of the Campaign, we will continue to work together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan to identify and establish the nationality of stateless persons, and achieve the global goal of eradicating statelessness by 2024.”
“The impressive results of the campaign showed the government’s commitment to ending statelessness. Based on the country’s progress in addressing statelessness, UNHCR believes that Kazakhstan is ready to accede to the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions and achieve all the goals of the #IBelong global campaign to end statelessness by 2024,” said Irina Bilyalova, Head of National Office UNHCR in Kazakhstan.
Statelessness in Kazakhstan and neighboring states was largely a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union. While many residents were able to confirm or acquire citizenship of Kazakhstan or another successor state, some were left in legal limbo. There are currently over 7,800 registered stateless persons permanently residing in Kazakhstan, although the actual number is likely to be higher.
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