A/HRC/7/23 page 21 of categories of excluded groups, most notably ethnic Albanians and Roma. Widely touted amendments in 2004 failed to remedy the underlying problem that Macedonian officials fail to acknowledge the legitimate ties of a number of categories of persons to the country. 68. Despite continuing problems, the region has undergone substantial positive developments, mainly because of the work of a number of supranational bodies in Europe, including the European Union, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which have for some time been addressing these issues in the region. D. Latin America and the Caribbean 69. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the majority of States have a generous tradition of conferring nationality on the basis of jus solis; for that reason, few individuals should be left stateless at birth. However, lack of resources and infrastructure obstacles have resulted in a low percentage of populations having documentation of their civil status. To address this concern, the Organization of American States (OAS) is currently focusing on the right to an identity as a major policy thrust, placing central importance on universal birth registration as an objective to resolve issues related to the denial of citizenship to minorities. OAS member States are currently endeavouring to achieve free, timely and universal birth registration in the region by 2015. Chile, Cuba and Guyana have reportedly almost reached the goal. 70. A notable example where problems persist is the Dominican Republic. Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent born in the Dominican Republic experience severe racial discrimination, heightened vulnerability to deportation and obstacles to their access to economic and social services. Most live in a status of legal limbo as a result of being denied Dominican citizenship. The focus of recent controversy is Migration Law 285-04, which presents problems of conflicts with the jus soli provision of the Dominican Constitution, retroactivity and discriminatory application with respect to people of Haitian descent. The recent implementation of a pink birth-certificate registration procedure and “foreigners-book” in practice denies citizenship to children of Haitian descent born in the Dominican Republic. Hope for change came with the decision in 2005 of the Inter-American Court, which declared that the Dominican Republic had breached the international human right to a nationality in its arbitrary and discriminatory practice in this regard. However the Government is yet to fully comply with this decision.28 VII. ACTIVITIES OF INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 71. The independent expert has been encouraged by the important work being carried out by relevant stakeholders in this field worldwide, including by agencies of the United Nations, regional intergovernmental organizations and numerous non-governmental organizations. She 28 For a full consideration of the situation in the Dominican Republic see the report of the joint visit of the independent expert and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance conducted in October 2007 (A/HRC/7/23/Add.3).