Skopje, 19 December 2023 (MIA) – Zulfija Amza, Ferdikan Selmani and Leonardo Memedi are some of the citizens who received birth certificates for the first time on Tuesday. They were part of the Registry Office's 526 cases of undocumented persons who were in a decades-long battle to be registered in the birth registry. Of the 526 undocumented persons, 409 so far have been registered in the birth registry, while the remaining 117 will obtain a birth certificate by the end of the year.  

Addressing Tuesday's event on awarding birth certificates to previously undocumented persons, Kovachevski said such problems are now a thing of the past.   

"These citizens did not have identification documents, they could not receive medical treatment, they could not get a job, they could not get married, nor could they regulate the status of their children. They simply did not exist in the state system. These problems are now a thing of the past. With the amendments to the Law on Civil Registry, we resolved the life challenges of many of our citizens," said the PM. 

He thanked for the commitment of the Ministry of Justice and the Registry Office, and particularly highlighted the role of MPs Sonja Mirakovska, Ljatifa Shikovska and Snezhana Kaleska-Vancheva, who drafted amendments to the Law on Civil Registry which systematically continued to resolve the problems of undocumented persons.  

"These people were until now out of the labor market. We are now enabling them to get a job, open and register their own companies. By registering them in the birth registry, we opened up the opportunity for them to use all the benefits offered by the Constitution and Laws of the Republic of North Macedonia," Kovachevski said. 

Justice Minister Krenar Lloga pointed out that these people will no longer be marginalized. 

"Zero undocumented persons. First in Europe, and second in the world to resolve the problem of the undocumented persons. These people will no longer be marginalized, discriminated against. They have access to health and social protection, education and access to justice," said the Minister. 

MP Sonja Mirakovska pointed out that reflections in this area are undoubtedly significant for the quality of life of the people who obtained, for the first time, a document with which they can say "I Belong", as the UN campaign to end statelessness says. 

She added that work is underway on a proposal for a Law on Foreigners that will enable a certain group of citizens to obtain citizenship more quickly.

Registry Office director Emir Sulejmani noted that the Registry Office has a total of 526 cases on the territory of North Macedonia, of which 409 have been resolved with a positive outcome receiving a birth certificate. He added that the remaining 117 will be resolved by the end of the year. 

MIA previously told the story of 55-year-old Zulfija Amza, an unemployed woman who has never been able to see a doctor, to whom receiving the birth certificate on Tuesday was a dream come true. 

Photo: MIA