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A long road to citizenship

Published: 30 October 2014 г.
Bishkek, 30 October 2014 – Today Representation of United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees and the Department of Registration of Population and Acts of Civil Status of the State Registration Service under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic marked the launch of a global campaign on eradication of statelessness. It is hoped that with the help of this campaign 10 million currently stateless persons around the world will be able to enjoy the benefits of citizenship within a decade.
 
Kyrgyzstan is closely familiar with the phenomenon of statelessness. According to available data, more than 50,000 persons had to clarify and to confirm their Kyrgyz citizenship from 2010 to 2014. In 2014, UNHCR and the Kyrgyz Government launched a joint effort to address the remaining cases of statelessness in the country. The initiative is supported through the UNHCR “Solutions Initiative” fund. The goal of the project is to register and to document stateless and undocumented persons throughout the country. Twenty-eight multifunctional mobile teams were created, trained, and equipped to carry out the registration effort. These teams travel to remote areas of Kyrgyzstan in order to provide free legal consultations to the beneficiaries of the project. The teams also help to file for determination of the beneficiaries’ citizenship.

In 2014, the teams are working in Osh city, Osh and Jalalabad provinces, and three selected districts of Chui province. As of today, the teams have registered more than 5,500 stateless and undocumented persons. It is expected that a majority of these beneficiaries will receive their new passports or birth certificates by the end of the year.

“Multifunctional groups have worked efficiently, and I believe that Osh and Jalal-Abad provinces will not face the issue of undocumented and stateless people in the future”, said Ms. Alina Shaikova, Chairperson of the State Registration Service.  

The majority of stateless persons have been living in Kyrgyzstan since birth, some others have moved into the country some time ago. They have integrated themselves closely into the local society. Due to the lack of identification documents, however, they cannot enjoy the set of rights that comes with having a determined citizenship. Stateless and undocumented persons face insurmountable obstacles when attempting to register marriage and childbirth, to travel abroad, or to receive social benefits such as pensions or medical insurance. New citizens will finally have access to education, healthcare, legal employment, property ownership, political participation, and equal rights with other citizens.

Today Mr. Johann P. Siffointe, UNHCR Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic, and his counterpart Deputy Chairperson Ubaliev, handed over Kyrgyz passports to 10 persons with previously undetermined citizenship. Representative Siffointe congratulated the new citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic: “Despite advances made in promoting the rights of stateless persons, an estimated 10 million all over the world still live as ”invisible” - without legal identities, and unrecognized as citizens by any nation state. I am very happy for today’s beneficiaries, and I am encouraged by the Kyrgyz government’s effort to tackle this human rights issue. Much remains to be done, but today is a positive step towards the right direction”.
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The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees leads and co-ordinates humanitarian action to protect refugees, asylum-seekers, and stateless people in Kyrgyzstan. UNHCR provides assistance to the state authorities in establishing fair and efficient asylum systems, and in preventing and reducing statelessness. UNHCR also assists the population affected by June 2010 event in the south of the country.