Praxis submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee its comments to the Serbia’s report on the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations issued as part of the Concluding Observations on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Serbia and focusing on the improvement of the situation of Roma in Serbia. Praxis’ report points out that Roma in Serbia continue to face problems and discrimination related to their rights to education, social protection and health care as well as access to public services and the availability of information about the provision of these services. It is particularly stressed that it is still impossible to register immediately after birth children whose mothers do not possess personal documents, that some children are left without citizenship after birth due to the failure to apply the provisions of the Law on Citizenship aimed at preventing statelessness among children born in Serbia, and that a significant number of Roma cannot register their permanent residence due to the practice of certain police stations and social welfare centres that is not in accordance with the law.

In 2017, the UN Human Rights Committee issued Concluding Observations on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Serbia. In its Concluding Observations, the Committee highlighted certain problems faced by Roma in Serbia as particularly important and urgent, and issued recommendations for their elimination. At the same time, Serbia was requested to submit a report on the implementation of these recommendations to the Committee within a year. At the beginning of 2019, Serbia submitted such a report, but a large number of Committee’s recommendations had not been appropriately implemented. Thus, the Committee’s recommendation that children whose parents do not possess personal documents must be allowed to register into birth registry books has not been complied with.