From birth, every individual has the right to an identity!

An individual's identity affirms their existence in society and recognizes their uniqueness, giving to the individual the sense of belonging” says Merita Ahma, Protection Officer at the UNHCR Office of the Chief of Mission. “Yet, this phenomenon requires a systemic institutional treatment in the form of the establishment of an efficient systemic mechanism for identification of unregistered persons at birth or those facing challenges in registering their birth and providing adequate and timely solutions.”

In 1999, amidst the turmoil of conflict, Shkurta Hoti and her family were displaced to Montenegro. The large Hoti family squeezed into the small rooms of a collective shelter. As the years passed, Shkurta transitioned from childhood to adulthood. She got married and gave birth to three children. Two of her children were registered at birth, but in 2015, she faced difficulties in registering her youngest daughter with only an ID card for displaced persons. Due to ongoing legal reforms, she needed a valid ID document to register her child.

Shkurta sought help from UNHCR and its partners in Montenegro for support through the biometric mobile team from Kosovo that was issuing personal documentation to displaced persons. Despite the initial setback of lacking sufficient evidence to be registered in civil status records, Shkurta was reassured by the continuous support and efforts of UNHCR and its partners, which eventually led to her registration after several years.

"The hassle of obtaining civil status documents lasted a long time. My parents did not register my birth. I was lucky to meet with UNHCR and Civil Rights Program Kosovo (CRPK) lawyers who with their legal expertise supported my battle for personal documentation. Thanks to their interventions, I could return to Kosovo, even though the documents were not finalised. Moreover, with their diligent support and Civil Status Registry Officials  in Peje/Peć municipality the procedure for late birth registration has been finalised in 2018. I was issued my first ID card that year," recalls Shkurta.

"You know, you cannot do much without an ID card. I was desperate because I couldn't access any services like my neighbours that possessed personal documents."

Once Shkurta obtained her personal documentation, she immediately requested support to register birth of her daughter, eight-year-old Elmedina, in Podgorica, her place of birth. Elmedina was registered five years after, only in 2023. Unfortunately, this was due tovarious factors, in particular complex procedures for subsequent registration. 

"I wanted to secure for my daughter a brighter future and that was possible only if she was equipped with the personal documentation. " Shkurta explains.

UNHCR in Pristina, along with its legal partner organisation CRPK, was actively engaged from the beginning in supporting the late birth registration of Shkurta and her children. Two of her children, who were born in Podgorica, were registered in the birth registry and issued birth extracts upon issuance of an ID card in 2018. However, her youngest child, Elmedina, was not registered at birth in Podgorica, and her birth certificate could not be issued in Kosovo. The collection of evidentiary documentation, along with other legal procedures, was delayed due to several factors, including the pandemic. Once conditions improved, teams in Podgorica and Pristina arranged late birth registration appointments.

"Through an unexpected call, my husband and I were notified that we would travel to Podgorica. We couldn't believe it until a UNHCR vehicle arrived at our home, and we began the trip that would provide our little girl with the solution to her ‘unregistered at birth’ status," recalls Shkurta "UNHCR, CRPK, and Civic Alliance collected and submitted all the documents on our behalf. Without their support, we wouldn't have known how to register our child, what documents to present, or where to go. Without them, we would have been totally lost."

It is due to the commitment, engagement, and swift response of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Montenegro, which addressed the late birth registration request and issued a birth certificate for Elmedina within a day.  Upon the registration in Montenegro, Elmedina was registered also in Kosovo Civil Status Registry allowing her to establish her full legal identity. 

“Our cooperation with the individuals at risk of statelessness, authorities, partners, and different stakeholders is crucial in addressing the complex individual requests that have different characteristics; thus, different pathways to solutions should be pursued individually and simultaneously” says Mentor Seferi CRPK lawyer.

“Unfortunately, the authorities still do not have a complete overview, in the absence of the official data, on the  number of unregistered individuals in Kosovo. Unregistered people are extremely vulnerable. Without proper legal assistance, they could not navigate the complex and bureaucratic procedures.” says Milanka Bazdar, the Durable Solutions Associate from the UNHCR office of the Chief of Mission.

UNHCR continues to pursue its humanitarian role in enabling the most vulnerable people to obtain the solution to their identity, thus acting under its mandate on the prevention of statelessness as well as in  joint coordination and cooperation with various operational partners in  achieving the SDG 16.9 and specific targets.