BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IF I COULD ONLY GET SOME PAPERS, I WOULD DO ANYTHING, EVEN IF I HAVE TO CLEAN TOILETS…” NUHIJA, 54, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the majority of people who are at risk of statelessness are Roma living below the poverty line. Roma identified by UNHCR as “at-risk” lack birth registration and have no basis for legal identity. Bosnia and Herzegovina is party to both the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions. To support the authorities in addressing statelessness, UNHCR, in partnership with Vaša Prava BiH, a legal aid organization, together with Roma community members, have conducted, since 2014, over 130 focus group sessions throughout the country, providing information on birth and citizenship registration. Through these focus groups, and cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, over 640 individuals have obtained a legal identity since 2014. Since 2014, UNHCR and partners have provided training to over 700 cantonal and municipal officials, social workers at centres for social welfare and members of Roma NGOs, to help them better identify people at risk, provide assistance and stop the cycle to protect future generations. Authorities at all levels can now better focus on finding solutions for challenges related to birth registration of Roma. In the field of civil registration, UNHCR activities complement the implementation of the Government’s Roma Action Plans, which aim to improve the socioeconomic integration of Roma. By working with the members of Roma communities to help establish trust in their environments, UNHCR and its partners continue to monitor “at-risk” Roma communities for persons at risk of statelessness and to ensure that all community members have birth registration and access to identity documents. In 2017, UNHCR and UNICEF developed a Joint Strategy for Addressing Childhood Statelessness, with the aim to, in close collaboration with relevant authorities, Roma representatives and other stakeholders in BiH, eradicate the risk of statelessness among Roma children and to ensure their full access to the rights of citizenship in BiH. A soft-spoken and shy man in his 50’s, Nuhija’s holds tight to his ‘military record book,’ which lists his dates of participation in the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1992-1995 war. The timeworn booklet is the only written proof of Nuhija’s existence. Born outside of a hospital in 1964, Nuhija’s birth was never registered. Furthermore, the exact identity of his mother, who abandoned him shortly after birth, remains unknown. Being legally ‘invisible’ for his entire life has denied Nuhija access to education, health care, social welfare, and stable employment. To try to make ends meet, Nuhija has made his living collecting garbage at a dump outside of Sarajevo, salvaging and selling what he can at local flea markets. With the help of the UNHCR and local aid organization Vaša Prava BiH, Nuhija was able to collect enough evidence and witness testimonies to have his birth registered and obtain his birth certificate. However, after a lifetime of exclusion, Nuhija is now facing a final challenge: being confirmed as a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. To obtain the citizenship, he would need to prove, as a legal precondition, his residence in BiH in 1992 – which he is unable to. The relevant authorities, UNHCR and Vaša Prava BiH are working to find a solution that would enable Nuhija to make his dream of BiH citizenship – and an identity card - a reality. To learn more about Nuhija, please see: htpps://goo.gl/1ZiH9Z 12 • ENDING STATELESSNESS IN SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE ENDING STATELESSNESS IN SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE • 13