dissolution of the former SFRY from 1991-1995, the 1999 conflict in Kosovo, Montenegro’s independence in 2006 and Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence in 2008. Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians, who are among the most marginalized and excluded communities in the region, feature prominently in this second group. According to UNHCR’s 2010 statistics, an estimated 18,122 individuals are stateless or at risk of statelessness in South Eastern Europe.4 Following the dissolution of the SFRY, statelessness was largely avoided due to the principle of continuity of republican citizenship, which was incorporated into the citizenship legislation of all the States of the former SFRY. While people did not always acquire the citizenship of the State in which they were living, or have the right to acquire it later, in theory, few were left without the citizenship of any State. It must be stressed, however that there were some individuals who did not possess a republican citizenship, or lacked the means of proving possession. Nevertheless, in the aftermath of the dissolution of SFRY, many people experienced problems with civil registration and documentation, which in some cases left people without a citizenship while many others faced significant challenges proving that they were citizens of a particular State.The dissolution of the former SFRY and the conflicts of the 1990’s including the 1999 conflict in Kosovo displaced many within and across borders of the former SFRY and wreaked havoc on the civil registry system. While many people were able to reconstruct their personal records in the intervening years, others, in particular, the most vulnerable and socially and economically disadvantaged, were left without valid personal records and documents. Many Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians who lack documents are trapped in a cycle where the lack of documentation among one generation, creates obstacles in the registration of the next. In most countries, this lack of documentation has exacerbated problems with the registration of children at birth, because parents are unable to meet the evidentiary requirements for registering their children. While requirements for registration of birth, such as personal identification documentation, legally registered residence, marriage certificates, and the fees and associated costs are the same for all parents, they can be particularly challenging for the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians who live in poverty and on the margins of society. Despite safeguards in the national framework, there are Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children who remain unregistered at birth. They face complicated and difficult procedures in order to register later in life. risk of not being considered nationals by the State. Such proof may stem from civil registries (notably birth certificates), witness testimony or national identity documents (indicating that the person was considered a national at the time of issuance). This situation is different from the concept of a stateless person as it does not describe populations that are currently stateless, but who turn out to be or could become stateless unless preventative action is taken. 4 Bosnia and Herzegovina: 5,000; Croatia: 1,749; Montenegro: 1,300; Serbia (and Kosovo: UNSCR 1244): 8,500; The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: 1,573; see Annex 7 of UNHCR Global Trends 2010, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2011, http://www.unhcr.org/statistics. 5