Findings from analysis of legal framework for registration of unregistered persons presented in Skopje

SKOPJE, 8 June 2018 – Government officials and civil society representatives gathered today in Skopje at an OSCE-organized event to discuss the findings of an UNHCR-supported analysis of the existing legal framework for registration of unregistered persons.

During the event, organized by the Labour and Social Policy Ministry with the support of the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the UNHCR Representation in Skopje, the participants exchanged views on the legislative and administrative changes that need to be made to the legal framework in order to ensure registration of unregistered persons, including children.

“It is very important to solve the status of stateless persons, in particular, because this issue is a multi-generation problem resulting in the impossibility to register the children of these persons,” said the Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, Jeff Goldstein.

Jovana Trencevska, State Secretary of the Labour and Social Policy Ministry, said that obtaining personal documents is essential for the realization of citizens’ basic human rights.

“Together with the Justice Ministry and the Interior Ministry we will consider all proposals and initiatives stemming from the analysis aimed at enabling registration and issuing of first birth certificates to all persons born in the country, in order to fully realize their guaranteed rights,” she added.

The Officer in Charge of the UNHCR Representation in Skopje, Dejan Kladarin, said: “‘Everyone has the right to a nationality”: this is stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UNHCR is committed to helping states eradicate statelessness by 2024. Making registration the rule for each and every birth is a step towards that direction, and analysing the legislation is crucial for identifying the gaps and weaknesses which pose obstacles to people in accessing their basic human rights, such as their right to the nationality.”