UNHCR and UNICEF call on Central Asia’s nations to prevent statelessness by birth registration of all children born in the countries of Central Asia. According to data from UNHCR, the birth registration rate in Tajikistan is 96.7 percent.
More than 13,000 children in Tajikistan are reportedly threatened with statelessness because of lack of birth registration.
According to informburo.kz, efforts in ensuring birth registration to all children in Central Asia were discussed at a conference in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan. Organized by UNHCR in partnership with UNICEF and United Nations, the event reportedly brought together representatives of the Central Asian countries to exchange views on measures taken to ensure birth registration and address childhood statelessness.
“Despite the fact that the birth registration rate in Central Asia is relatively high – 100 percent in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, 98.6 percent in Kyrgyzstan, and 96.7 percent in Tajikistan – the birth registration problem still persists on the ground,” UNHCR Special Advisor Carol Batchelor noted.
Over the period of 2014-2018, UNHCR partner organizations reportedly revealed 13,500 children without birth registration in Tajikistan.