By Grace Kuria
The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, has warned that many of the world’s stateless people may miss out on vaccinations as a result of their lack of citizenship or proof of identity.
UNHCR’s International Protection chief, Gillian Triggs said, “There are millions known to be stateless around the world, without the nationality of any state. This has hugely damaging impacts on their fundamental human rights, and now they may also be excluded from accessing life-saving vaccinations.”
In its latest report on ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Stateless Populations, the agency notes that the majority of national immunization plans do not provide clarity on their coverage of stateless people.
“In the interest of protecting people’s lives and securing public health, national vaccination plans must be implemented in as inclusive manner as possible. Given that many stateless people already face widespread exclusion and marginalization, barriers to access must be addressed and special consideration given to their situation,” said Triggs.
UNHCR, is aware of a global population of at least 4.2 million stateless people in some 94 countries.
More than a year into the pandemic, UNHCR is also warning that disruptions to birth registration services are creating new risks of statelessness.
This is as a result of a number of countries having suspended civil registration services as a result of the pandemic, birth registration – which is key in establishing eligibility for nationality – has been affected.
(With input from UNHCR)
