UN body hails UAE policy on stateless people

Geneva: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has welcomed the UAE's efforts to resolve the situation of thousands of stateless people.

During a press briefing, UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler took note of the Ministry of Interior's announcement earlier this month of the launch of a two-month campaign for the registration of the country's stateless population. He also commended the decision to establish four registration centres in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.

The registration centres allow applicants to fill out detailed forms explaining their current situation and facilitate an appropriate decision by concerned authorities after extensive scrutiny of each application.

The UN body praised the efforts of the UAE government in this regard and the media awareness campaign that had been launched to encourage registration.

The spokesperson also welcome the statements emanating from the country's leadership and their professed commitment to addressing the problem of statelessness.

Inspirational move

He called on other countries to follow the exemplary step taken by UAE and expressed optimism that UAE's move would inspire others to address similar problems.

"We hope that a successful resolution of this issue in the UAE will encourage other countries in the region to follow suit in addressing the problem of statelessness," Spindler said.