Operational Context

The identified causes of the risk of statelessness in Serbia are mainly as follows:

– Around 2,400 Roma remain at risk of statelessness in Serbia due to a lack of personal documentation.

– Approximately 400 Roma still have not had their births registered

– The lack of personal documentation of Roma parents is still an obstacle regarding registration procedures for their children.

As noted, Roma children in Serbia whose parents lack personal identity documents can, under Serbian legislation, have their births registered. However, some local registrars and hospitals remain unsure as to the procedures for registration of children born to parents who have not acquired personal documentation, and consistent follow up and monitoring of the registration of these children needs to be developed.

Birth certificate of a child born in an informal Roma settlement in Belgrade. Immediate registration of Roma children whose parents lack personal documents is key to preventing statelessness © UNHCR / Imre Szabo, November 

Strategy Objective

1. Improving birth registration to prevent statelessness.

Goal: Ensure the full implementation of adopted legislation, especially the full access to immediate birth registration of children born in hospitals whose parents lack personal documentation.

 

Strategy Timeframe: 2017 to 2024