The challenge of statelessness for long-term refugees in the Great Lakes region
A recent study carried out by the Secretariat of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) highlights the risks of statelessness faced by refugees who have spent more twenty years outside their country of origin, as well as their descendants born in exile. This study, entitled “Refugees from generation to generation: preventing statelessness through durable solutions in the Great Lakes region”, is the result of an in-depth survey carried out among Rwandan refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congolese refugees in Rwanda, as well as South Sudanese and Congolese refugees in Uganda.
The study reveals that most long-term refugees do not possess any identity document from their country of origin, which exposes them to many challenges in reestablishing their nationality in the event of eventual return. In addition, gaps in nationality laws in host countries put those born in exile at particular risk, especially if their birth has not been registered and they do not have a birth certificate. .
According to the study, only eight percent of long-term adult refugees surveyed have a birth certificate. Although birth registration rates have increased for children born in countries of asylum, much remains to be done to ensure universal birth registration, including for adults born in exile.
Faced with these worrying findings, the study makes recommendations to the authorities of the countries concerned, as well as to the ICGLR and the UNHCR, to prevent the risk of statelessness in the context of long-term refugees. These recommendations include legal reforms, such as access to naturalization for refugees who wish to do so, as well as practical initiatives to make it easier to obtain valid identity documents issued by the country of asylum.
The regional expert conference on the eradication of statelessness and access to legal documentation, where this study was presented, brought together government actors and key experts to discuss the implementation of commitments taken with regard to the eradication of statelessness in the region. This conference also provided an opportunity to plan new commitments to be made at the next Global Refugee Forum.
It is essential to remember that statelessness affects not only long-term refugees, but also many other individuals around the world. According to UNHCR’s 2022 Global Trends Report, more than 103,000 stateless people reside in countries in the Great Lakes region. However, this figure is presumed to be much higher, as current statistics only take into account stateless populations in less than half of the ICGLR countries and do not include those who are long-term refugees or their descendants born in exile without recognition of their nationality.
In conclusion, the issue of statelessness for long-term refugees in the Great Lakes region is a major challenge that requires concrete action. It is urgent that the authorities of the countries concerned work in close collaboration with the ICGLR and the UNHCR to implement the recommendations of this study and guarantee that all individuals, regardless of their status as refugees or descendants of refugees, can benefit of their fundamental right to a nationality