What is the main problem the project is seeking to address? The project seeks to address the systemic gaps in birth registration that place thousands of children in Lebanon at risk of statelessness. Despite births occurring in public hospitals, there is no standardized or systematic registration process in place. Hospital staff are often untrained and unaware of their role in informing mothers about the importance of registering newborns and the severe consequences of failing to do so. This situation is compounded by the fact that many vulnerable undocumented or stateless mothers deliver at home, further limiting access to legal registration procedures. A widespread lack of awareness among parents—particularly regarding the one-year legal timeframe for registration—leads to missed deadlines, after which the process becomes complex, costly, and often inaccessible. Late registration requires a court procedure, legal fees, and supporting documents that many vulnerable families cannot provide, leaving children without legal identity and at risk of statelessness. The mukhtars, who play a key role in registration, often lack proper training and oversight, apply inconsistent practices, or charge extremely high informal fees, further discouraging vulnerable and marginalized families from completing the process. As a result, many parents resign themselves to their circumstances, unaware of the long-term consequences this resignation carries for their children’s access to education, healthcare, and protection. In Lebanon, stateless and unregistered children remain legally invisible, excluded from essential rights and services. According to FR’s 2023–2024 assessments, children represent 52% of the stateless population, with the highest concentrations in Bekaa, Baalbeck-Hermel, North, and Akkar governorates.

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What is the main change the project seeks to achieve? This project aims to reduce the risk of statelessness at birth in Lebanon by contributing to ensure that all children are registered and recognized with a legal identity. It seeks to transform birth registration from an inconsistent administrative process into a coordinated, rights-based system in which both families and health professionals understand their roles in preventing statelessness. The initiative will also promote stronger collaboration between hospitals, community actors, and civil registries to address the administrative and structural barriers that often hinder access to timely birth registration. In parallel, the project will design and pilot a national training course on statelessness, tailored to Lebanon’s legal, institutional, and social context. Delivered through workshops, universities, and later online platforms, the course will provide clear, practical guidance on existing procedures, legal frameworks, and solutions. It will address significant gaps in knowledge, even among professionals, and promote a more unified, effective response across sectors. Ultimately, this initiative aims to embed statelessness prevention into Lebanon’s health, education, and protection systems—creating a sustainable, cross-sectoral approach to ensuring every child’s right to legal identity.

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Who are the key partners? The project will be implemented through a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach, bringing together key national and local actors to ensure effective prevention of statelessness at birth. FR will serve as the lead organization, responsible for overall coordination, technical guidance, and implementation of activities, which will be carried out by a specialized mobile team to ensure outreach to high-risk and underserved areas. At the national level, the project will work closely with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA). Cooperation with MoSA is framed under a three-year Memorandum of Understanding, which formalizes collaboration on preventing statelessness, strengthening referral pathways, and enhancing outreach through MoSA’s Social Development Centres (SDCs). These centres will facilitate awareness sessions, identify families at risk of nonregistration and link them to the civil authorities. The project will be implemented in close collaboration with civil society organizations and networks working in the fields of health, reproductive health and protection, identified through updated service mapping to ensure inclusion of all relevant stakeholders. By engaging hospitals, doctors, midwives and professional syndicates (including the Orders of Midwives and Physicians) alongside universities, the project will foster strong coordination and joint action across sectors. This collaborative framework will facilitate effective referral pathways between health, protection, and legal actors, enabling timely support and improved access to essential services for vulnerable families and children at risk of statelessness. Furthermore, universities and professional associations will contribute to sustainability by integrating the national training course on statelessness into their curricula and learning programs.

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Who is the target population for this project? PrimaryMidwives, hospital staff, social workers and other health professionals directly involved in childbirth and documentation processes, as they play a critical role in informing families and facilitating timely birth registration. Vulnerable and stateless mothers and families in high-risk areas (particularly in Bekaa and North), who face barriers in accessing registration services and are most at risk of passing statelessness to their children.

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OtherLawyers, and civil registry officials, whose improved understanding of statelessness and birth registration procedures will strengthen coordination and institutional response. Universities, training institutions, and professional associations that will benefit from the national training course on statelessness, integrating it into their curricula and professional development programs. Local communities and networks indirectly reached through awareness sessions and the advocacy role of trained midwives, contributing to broader behavioral change and enhanced prevention of statelessness.

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Funding and costs What is the total cost of this project?99,710 USD

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How much funding is needed?99,710 USD

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