MONTENEGRO MONTENEGRO to attaining a lasting and sustainable legal status in Montenegro. The preliminary results show that at least 145 persons are missing both birth and citizenship registration and are therefore at risk of statelessness. In 2018, the Interior Ministry and UNHCR are working closely to find solutions for all identified outstanding cases. At the same time, the problem of documentation as a result of the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia remains widespread, requiring further sensitization particularly in the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities. As part of their global coalition strategy in combatting child statelessness, UNHCR and UNICEF are also working side by side to prevent statelessness for future generations by addressing the remaining gaps in Montenegro’s birth registration system. Since December 2014, when the launch of the #IBelong was marked in Montenegro with the signing of the Open Letter to End Statelessness, the global campaign has been jointly acknowledged every year by Montenegrin authorities, UNHCR, and other relevant partners with series of public events and debates to remind the citizens of the plight of the “legally invisible” people in Montenegro and around the world. ELSANI FAMILY The Elsani family The Elsani family arrived in Montenegro as refugees, having literally run for their lives as the 19981999 Kosovo War destroyed their hometown of Peć/ Peja. The family, which at the time consisted of Bujar, his partner Sabaheta, and their two-year old daughter, Sanela registered as Internally Displaced Persons, believing their stay in Montenegro would be temporary. As time went by, however, and Montenegro gained independence in 2006, the family found themselves in a foreign country with no documentation or proof of identity. The family became caught in an awkward position: they needed their documents from Kosovo to establish their identity, but without proof of nationality, they could not cross an international border. The Elsanis, now a family of eight, none of whom had citizenship, was denied access to the fundamental human rights, including education, health care, and employment. Bujar and Sabaheta could not even get legally married. After Kosovo and Montenegro signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2014 that allowed undocumented Kosovar refugees in Montenegro to obtain their identity documents through mobile team visits of Kosovo authorities, the family’s situation took a turn. With the help of UNHCR and its partner Legal Centre, the Elsani family was finally able to receive their Kosovo IDs and travel documents. They are now living as foreigners with permanent residence in Montenegro, no longer excluded from the country they have called home for nearly two decades. With their legal status established, Bujar has been able to secure a job working with the Budva municipality, providing consistent, stable support for his family, and Bujar and Sabaheta have finally been able to make their partnership legal. Janoš is a 27 year-old Roma man who was born and raised in Podgorica. Janoš was not registered at birth, and consequently he was never issued a birth certificate or any other type of official state documentation. Unable to provide any proof of identity, Janoš never went to school and has never been able to hold a proper job. He has spent his life in a limbo, unable to get an education, hold a steady job, open a bank account, or even get a SIM card in his name. The situation got worse when Janoš became blind at 16 due to cataracts in both his eyes. Without access to healthcare, Janoš was unable to get the treatment to get his vision back. Despite his countless difficulties, Janoš is defiantly positive and hopeful. With the support of UNHCR and its local partner, Legal Centre, Janoš was able to establish his date and place of birth in front of a court and finally entered into the birth registry. In November 2016, full of excited jitters, he picked up his ID card, putting an end to his lifetime legal ‘invisibility.’ Now a legally recognized member of the Montenegrin society, Janoš is trying to save money to go abroad to have his vision restored. Janoš says that the surgery is his only impetus to go abroad. He immediately plans to return to Montenegro, stating, “I love my country and I want to live here.” “We had a hard time living without being able to prove who we are…We couldn’t travel, I couldn’t get a proper job and my wife and I could not even get married.” Elsani family To learn more about the Elsani family, please see: htpps://goo.gl.f4xJL7 22 • ENDING STATELESSNESS IN SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE ENDING STATELESSNESS IN SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE • 23