UNHCR expands cooperation to enhance the access of asylum seekers and stateless persons to the Azerbaijani justice system

UNHCR Azerbaijan has organized a workshop in collaboration with the State Migration Service, Ministry of Justice, and Judicial-Legal Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan devoted to the improvement of the access of asylum seekers and stateless persons to the Azerbaijani justice system. 

The aim of the workshop "Enhancing the Access of Asylum Seekers and Stateless Persons to the National Justice System of Azerbaijan" is to promote international guidelines and recommendations concerning the legal entitlements of asylum seekers and stateless individuals, as well as discuss the quality of the appeal component of the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Procedure.

The workshop brought together judges, lawyers, representatives of government authorities, university professors, and specialists from the UNHCR Baku office. Welcoming the participants, UNHCR Country Representative Bik Lum highlighted the importance of taking concrete steps to promote access of vulnerable groups to national justice systems: “It is crucial to identify obstacles they face, break down those barriers, respond to unmet legal needs and use justice as prevention of human rights violation.”

The participants convened to discuss pivotal topics regarding refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless persons. Topics included national asylum referral mechanisms, the judicial system's role concerning asylum-seekers, the right to an effective remedy, the significance of Country-of-Origin Information, and the identification of social groups in Afghanistan, with a special focus on women's rights.

The second day of the workshop, dedicated to national practices in documenting stateless persons and those at risk of statelessness, aligned seamlessly with the international legal framework on nationality and statelessness. Achievements and positive court precedents concerning documentation of persons at risk of statelessness in Azerbaijan were highlighted. The topics aimed to contribute to the #IBelong campaign which is a global initiative underscoring the goal of ending statelessness and emphasizing the importance of multilateral efforts to address the challenge.

As a result of the two-day-long workshop, lawyers and judges had an opportunity to present trending issues concerning asylum seekers and stateless individuals from their own perspectives, analyze challenges, and suggest possible solutions within the national legal framework.