Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan - first in World to regulate all cases of statelessness

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The United Nations has highly praised the efforts of Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, which have become the first countries to fully resolve the issue of statelessness within their territories.

UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Ruven Menikdiwela called the achievements of these countries an example for the whole world, as reported by Eurasiatoday.ru.

Bishkek and Ashgabat have successfully completed their tasks by resolving all known cases of statelessness, demonstrating to other states that eradicating this phenomenon is possible.

Statelessness: the essence of the problem and its scale

Statelessness is a legal condition in which a person is not recognized as a citizen by any country. Such individuals are deprived of basic rights, including access to education, healthcare, employment, and freedom of movement.

The causes of statelessness can vary, from legislative gaps and administrative errors to changes in state borders or discriminatory measures directed against certain groups.

In 2014, the UN launched the *I Belong* campaign aimed at completely eradicating statelessness by 2024.

As part of this program, active efforts have been made around the world, including in Central Asia, to identify and document stateless individuals.

Achievements of Central Asian countries

According to Ruven Menikdiwela, other countries in the region—Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan—are also actively participating in the *I Belong* program and taking measures to prevent statelessness.

For instance, Kazakhstan has developed legal procedures for determining statelessness and conducted two nationwide campaigns to document stateless individuals, enabling thousands to gain official status and access to rights.

CentralasianLIGHT.org

November 11, 2024