4.13.5 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stateless people
Stateless populations were frequently left out of vaccination campaigns which were aimed at the broader population due to uncertainties of their legal status and lack of documentation, resulting in difficulties to access vaccinations and treatments.
Stateless persons were in some cases included in the national vaccination plans, for example in Portugal and Spain, where access to the vaccination is not based on legal status or nationality. In Portugal, vaccinations for stateless persons were prioritised based on health risks, as for the rest of the population. In Spain, vaccinations are available to all persons residing on the territory.
The COVID-19 Emergency Statelessness Fund (CESF), a global consortium of NGOs and citizenship rights activists initiated by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI), published a roadmap to address the impact of COVID-19 on stateless people.
In France, financial support was provided to lower-income households and young people who were already receiving help from other financial services, including people holding stateless status. However, this support was subject to certain criteria being met, and in many cases the benefits did not extend to stateless people.
UNHCR published a report on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on stateless people, warning of the risk of vaccination gaps as the majority of national immunization plans did not include this group.
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