practices in addressing this issue in their region. The expert seminar resulted in a comprehensive set of recommendations to remedy the lack of civil registration and identification documents among Roma in Ukraine.15 In particular, it recommended to “initiate a mapping exercise or baseline study to determine the exact scope and causes of the problem, the type of obstacles Roma encounter across the country and in different regions, and their specific needs for obtaining personal identification and civil registration documents (data collection and analysis)”, and “a comprehensive analysis of the legal framework to identify any systemic issues leading to lack of civil registration and personal identification documents among Roma and develop recommendations for reforms in law and practice (legislative and procedural framework analysis)”, inter alia based on best practices from other OSCE participating States. This study was commissioned by ODIHR in continuation of its efforts to take forward those recommendations and to support the Ukrainian authorities in addressing the existing obstacles to Roma accessing personal documents.16 The main objective of this study is to understand more about the scope and causes of the existing problem of a lack of civil registration and identification documents, as well as the types of problems Roma (including Roma displaced from Eastern Ukraine and Crimea) experience in the Transcarpathia, Odesa and Kharkiv regions in that regard. Furthermore, this study aims to provide the relevant stakeholders with a mapping of the problem and the existing administrative practices and legal analysis in this area. Finally, this study offers a number of recommendations for overcoming the challenges identified. As there is no official data available on the extent of the problem, this study cannot provide an exhaustive overview of the topic, but can rather serve to initiate further directions for discussion, demonstrate the knowledge gap, and indicate the challenging areas that need to be addressed. This report is based on information from discussions held with the Ukrainian authorities during the inception meeting in Kyiv on 17 March 2017 and subsequent field visits to the Transcarpathia, Odesa and Kharkiv regions, where a series of meetings with state authorities, civil society organizations and international organizations was carried out.17 However, it should be noted that one of the main constraints of the present report involves the authors’ very limited access to the internally displaced Roma community in the Kharkiv region, which affected the degree to which the authors were able to understand all the problems such persons experience. This study is based on both desk research and field visits to the above-mentioned regions. The desk research into the existing legal framework in the area of access to personal documents as well as research into the relevant public policies and international human rights framework applicable in Ukraine was conducted in order to enhance understanding of the existing legal framework and any potential legal gaps so as to propose measures for overcoming the challenges identified. This review was followed by field visits to the Transcarpathia, Odesa and Kharkiv regions and a number of interviews were held with state and local authorities, local civil society organizations and human rights activists, and representatives of international organizations working in the area of access to personal documents in Ukraine. Finally, a number of findings 15 2015 Expert Seminar Report, op. cit., note 2. The reported problems in access to personal documents could also happen to other citizens of Ukraine, but they disproportionately affect Roma population. 17 Field visits were carried out between 18 and 31 March 2017. 16 17