Improving access to identity and civil registration documents for Roma in Ukraine the focus of OSCE/ODIHR expert meeting in Kyiv

Identifying next steps in improving access to identity and civil registration documents for Roma in Ukraine was the focus of an expert meeting organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 29 March 2018 in Kyiv.

Twenty-nine participants from the national and regional authorities, Roma and non-Roma civil society organizations and intergovernmental organizations, 19 women and 10 men, explored solutions to problems that Roma, including those internally displaced, face in accessing personal documents.

“ODIHR remains committed to assisting Ukraine in ensuring that all Roma have identity and civil registration documents, in line with the commitments contained in the 2003 Action Plan on Improving Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area,” said Dan Pavel Doghi, Chief of the Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues. “It is a prerequisite for accessing all public services and for participating fully in society as equal citizens.”

The expert meeting built on the recommendations of the 2017 Odesa Declaration, developed to overcome obstacles in access to civil registration and identity documents by Roma in Ukraine. In particular, the participants discussed the possibility of establishing a joint technical working group of state and non-state stakeholders to co-ordinate efforts in addressing the issue.

The event also provided a platform for presenting current civil registration initiatives and facilitated the exchange of knowledge and good practices in Ukraine and other OSCE participating States.

“The Strategy for the Protection and Integration of the Roma National Minority into Ukrainian Society by 2020 sets clear tasks to eliminate discrimination against Roma in all areas, including by facilitating access to personal documents,” said Aksana Filipishyna, Representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights on Gender Equality, Child Rights and Non-Discrimination. “It is a duty of the state to ensure that its entire population has identity documents.”

“The lack of civil registration and identity documents heavily affects Roma people in Ukraine, preventing their full participation in the society,” noted Zola Kondur, Vice President of the Roma Women’s Fund Chiricli. “The establishment of the technical working group should foster better access to personal documents among Roma.”

The expert meeting was organized in co-operation with Ukraine’s State Migration Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.