Published: 19 May 2015 г.
Bishkek, 19 May 2015 (UNHCR) - Today the UN Refugee Agency in Kyrgyzstan (UNHCR) donated some IT equipment to State Registration Service to enhance the capacity of its Call Centre set up for the eradication of Statelessness. The special phone equipment, server and a database will support and strengthen the work of the Centre, which receives up to 300 weekly calls from different parts of the country.
The Call Centre provides information about how to practically resolve stateless-like situations and basic consultations to its beneficiaries. It is the first contact to ensure that people are not left undocumented or prevented from becoming stateless.
“Absence of necessary identity documents makes people, both men and women, economically, legally, and socially vulnerable, and restricts their access to education, social and health services, and often sources of income. Elderly people cannot receive pensions,” SRS Chariperson Alina Shaikova said.
The project includes multi-functional teams with registration authorities and lawyers to go around the villages to legalize and document stateless individuals. The Republic of Kyrgyzstan has now become a world leading example in practically resolving the problems of statelessness.
“Today’s hand-over of IT equipment may be modest but it signifies the great practical advancement that Kyrgyz government has made in the areas of prevention and eradication of Statelessness,” UNHCR’s Representative Maki Shinohara said.
“We are making an excellent progress in the Provinces, and soon we shall face the biggest challenge to implement the Statelessness campaign in the urban Bishkek city. I am confident that with strengthened collaboration with the State Registration Service and other partners, we can make statelessness phenomenon history in this country.”
In June 2014, UNHCR jointly with the State Registration Service has launched the “Seeds for Solutions” project within the framework of UNHCR’s Global Campaign to End Statelessness Worldwide, aiming to resolve existing cases of statelessness in the country through registration and documentation of stateless persons and those at heightened risk of statelessness. Around 7,000 persons have been identified, more than 6000 applications have been submitted and among submitted more than halfhave been resolved in Osh, Jalal-Abad and Chuy provinces. Since March 2015, mobile multifunctional teams that include registration authorities and lawyers began to cover Batken, Talas and Chuy provinces.Next year, the campaign is scheduled to complete with Naryn and Issyk-Kul provinces.
For more information on this event please call UNHCR at (+996) 312-611254 or e-mail at
kgzbi@unhcr.org.
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, preventing and reducing statelessness. UNHCR assists population affected by June 2010 event in the south of the country.