Round Table Discussion on Achievements and Future Plans for Tackling an Important Issue
All photos by: UNHCR/K. Nsengiyumva
To mark the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 10th anniversary of the “I Belong” campaign, the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) organized a conference titled “What We Have Achieved and What the Future Holds”. The event took place at the National Assembly and highlighted Serbia’s progress in addressing the risk of statelessness, as well as future actions to tackle this issue.
Soufiane Adjali, UNHCR Representative in Serbia, hosted the conference and pointed out that “every individual deserves to belong, to have their identity recognized, and to enjoy the rights that come with citizenship.”
The conference noted that while tens of thousands of people in Serbia were at risk of statelessness at the beginning of the process, such cases are now considerably rare. This is achieved through the Operational Group established under the Memorandum of Understanding, which includes the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, the Protector of Citizens, UNHCR, and representatives of other ministries: the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Family Welfare and Demography, Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Ministry of Health, among others.
Serbia was commended as an example of good practice in addressing legal invisibility and eliminating the risk of statelessness. Participants emphasized that, while much progress has been made, Serbia continues to monitor the situation and ensure the protection of fundamental rights.
Serbia was commended for its exemplary practices in resolving legal invisibility and mitigating statelessness
Key speakers included the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Jelena Žarić Kovačević, the UNHCR Representative in Serbia, Soufiane Adjali, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Ivica Dačić, Minister of Human and Minority Rights, Tomislav Žigmanov, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Jovan Janjić, Protector of Citizens, Zoran Pašalić, Acting Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Cooperation, Katarina Lalić Smajević, and the Executive Director of the NGO “Praxis”.
“The right to nationality is one of the fundamental human rights. We are on the path to reducing the issue of statelessness in Serbia to isolated cases. In Serbia, you will have a partner in solving this issue,” said Ivica Dačić, Minister of Internal Affairs, at the opening.
Serbia was commended for its exemplary practices in resolving legal invisibility and mitigating statelessness. The conference underscored that, despite significant progress, Serbia remains diligent in monitoring the situation and ensuring the protection of fundamental human rights for all.
Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, Tomislav Žigmanov, said: “Statelessness is an ongoing challenge. More than 700 people still lack personal documents. As a state and society, we must strive to resolve this issue in Serbia.”
Attendees were moved by the testimony of Ersen Taf, a fellow citizen registered in the birth register during the ‘I Belong’ campaign. “After my mother received the documents, I was assigned a personal name and received a birth certificate and citizenship. Now I can work, get treatment, live,” said Ersen.
Assistant UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, addressed the participants via video message.
“The #IBelong Campaign, which we launched 10 years ago, has been a powerful force in advancing our collective efforts towards the eradication of statelessness around the world. Since its launch, we’ve seen remarkable progress, including in Europe,” was the message from Menikdivela.
After my mother received the documents, I was assigned a personal name and received a birth certificate and citizenship. Now I can work, get treatment, live – Ersen Taf
Adopted in September 1954 in New York and ratified by the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1959, the Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons remains a cornerstone in protecting the rights of stateless individuals.
The event on November 20th marked Serbia’s ongoing commitment and successful initiatives in tackling statelessness, setting a positive example for the international community.