passports to individuals in the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.16 In that context, it is also important to establish the number of IDPs from Kosovo who lack registered permanent or temporary places of residence. The sub-sample of RAE individuals in informal settlements who live in households that left or fled Kosovo since 1998 includes 7 individuals lacking birth registration, 10 without either Serbian or foreign citizenship, 33 with no registered permanent or temporary residence, and 21 (over-16s) lacking identity cards. Only 2 households with members who fled a former Yugoslav republic between 1991 and 1997 lack refugee certificates. These respondents claimed not to have this identification chiefly because they did not have the required substantiating documents and due to ignorance of the procedures involved. 4.5 Access to rights and discrimination The legislative and institutional framework that safeguards the rights and freedoms of ethnic minorities in Serbia are both well developed and harmonised with best practices and international standards. Nevertheless, earlier surveys conducted by Serbian and international organisations, as well as a review of complaints lodged with the Serbian Commissioner for Equality,17 indicate the Roma community faces issues mainly with regard to work, employment, education, social protection, and healthcare. Lack of personal identity documents can be a major cause of discrimination against RAE individuals, especially as it greatly hinders institutional and social integration. In this context, the findings show an increase in the proportion of RAE individuals facing difficulties due to lack of a personal identity document: as many as 56 percent of those surveyed reported having encountered such obstacles, as opposed to 42 percent who denied having such problems. 16 This piece of regulation governs the issuance of passports and registration of permanent places of residence for individuals with permanent residence in Kosovo or registered as nationals there. It requires these persons to undergo additional checks when applying for passports or to register permanent residence. For a detailed discussion, see Section 6.2, Exercise of rights in theory and practice. 17 Annual report of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality for 2019, available at ravnopravnost.gov.rs/ wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FINAL-RGI-2019-ZA-NARODNU-SKUPSTINU.pdf [in Serbian]. PERSONS AT RISK OF STATELESSNESS IN SERBIA OVERVIEW OF CURRENT SITUATION AND THE WAY FORWARD 35