A delegation from North Macedonia, consisting of representatives of the Government and civil society, visited Kazakhstan as part of a study tour.
The purpose of the visit was to familiarize the delegation with the experience of the Kazakh authorities on citizenship issues and the coordination mechanisms established between the Government, the civil sector, the UN and other international organisations to effectively address statelessness.
The visit was organised by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The delegation of North Macedonia was also met by representatives of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the office of the Commissioner for Human Rights and non-governmental organisations.
The Ministry of Justice of North Macedonia expressed interest in organising a study visit to Kazakhstan as a country with good practices on eradication of statelessness. Kazakhstan’s efforts towards ending statelessness have helped thousands of people be recognized as citizens, granting them access to medical, education and civil services, and supporting the sustainable development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Statelessness in Kazakhstan is mainly due to dissolution of the Soviet Union, while statelessness in North Macedonia is partly the result of the emergence of new states and changes in borders.
UNHCR Representative for Central Asia Hans Friedrich Schodder expressed the opinion that UNHCR warmly welcomes Kazakhstan considerations of a possibility to join the two UN Conventions on statelessness.
“Since 2014, the launch of the Global #IBelong Campaign to end statelessness by 2024, Kazakhstan has significantly progressed in reducing and preventing of statelessness by ensuring universal birth registration, taking nation-wide efforts for identification of stateless persons and establishing statelessness determination procedures,” added UNHCR Representative for Central Asia.
This visit became the starting point for the exchange of best practices and experiences, including in the field of identification and protection of stateless persons, as well as issues of accession and implementation of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
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