Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee on North Macedonia
The Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA), Bairska Svetlina – Centre for Development of Roma Community, AVAJA, the European Network on Statelessness (ENS), and the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI), made a joint submission to the Human Rights Committee, ahead of the periodic report on North Macedonia at its 133rd session in October 2021.
This submission sets out the key challenges and rights violations faced by stateless persons and persons at risk of statelessness in North Macedonia, in light of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Each of the following issues is addressed:
- Child’s right to a nationality and birth registration
- Discrimination against minorities and reduction of statelessness in in situ populations
- Stateless determination procedure and protection status
- The impact of COVID-19 on the enjoyment of civil rights and discriminatory practices against stateless people
The submission reiterated previous recommendations made to North Macedonia and urges the Human Rights Committee to make further recommendations to uphold the principle of non-discrimination, children’s right to a nationality and to birth registration, and to introduce a statelessness determination procedure. It also recommends that North Macedonia should ensure that the right to a nationality and other rights of stateless people are not undermined as a result of disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic or for any other reason, and that all stateless people have adequate access to vaccines, information and healthcare, regardless of their documentation or residence status.
