BY MBONGENI NDLELA
MBABANE – The Ministry of Home Affairs & the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for technical assistance to aid the country improve access to legal identity and to end statelessness.
The technical assistance includes the provision of tablets, printers, Gazebos and promotional material that will be used during the ongoing mop-up exercise.
The Minister of Home Affairs Princess Lindiwe said “Today’s donation adds to the accumulating basket of UNHCR support to the Kingdom of Eswatini which includes funding to implement the National Action Plan to prevent & eradicate statelessness in the kingdom, special training for Ministry officials and statutory bodies on the Refugee Status Determination and support to the Ndzevane livelihoods initiatives.”
“The mop-up exercise, coupled with the anticipated legal reforms, has the potential to definitively end statelessness on the territory, which would make the Kingdom of Eswatini the first country in the African continent & second globally to address cases of statelessness & end statelessness.” said UNHCR Representative Leonard Zulu.
Within the framework of the collaboration under the MoU, UNHCR will support the Ministry in realising the pledges made & support the success of the mop-up exercise and the identification of stateless persons and those at risk of statelessness, amongst other areas.
