Decade of Roma Inclusion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Decade of Roma Inclusion (Deshbersh le Romengo Anderyaripnasko in Romani) is an initiative of nine Central and Southeastern European countries to improve the socio-economic status and social inclusion of the Roma minority across the region. The initiative was launched in 2005, with the Decade of Roma Inclusion running from 2005 to 2015, and represents the first multinational project in Europe to actively enhance the lives of Roma.
Nine countries are taking part in the Decade of Roma Inclusion: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. All of these countries have significant Roma minorities, and the Roma minority has been rather disadvantaged, both economically and socially.
In 2005, the governments of the above countries committed to closing the gap in welfare and living conditions between the Roma and non-Roma populations, as well as putting an end to the cycle of poverty and exclusion that many Roma find themselves in.
The founding international partner organizations of the Decade of Roma Inclusion are the World Bank, the Open Society Institute, the United Nations Development Program, the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European Roma Information Office, the European Roma and Travellers Forum, the European Roma Rights Centre and the Roma Education Fund. In February 2008, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also became a partner in the Decade.
Planning for the Decade is guided by the International Steering Committee (ISC), which is composed of representatives of the participating governments, international partner organizations and Roma organizations. Each year, one of the participating governments holds the Decade’s Presidency. Hungary currently holds the Presidency, which Serbia is expected to assume on July 1, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Decade of Roma Inclusion - official site
- Open Society News: The Decade of Roma Inclusion, Challenging Centuries of Discrimination
- EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program (EUMAP): Overcoming Exclusion, The Roma Decade - online journal issue with seven papers
- Criticism of the Decade's organisation - Interview with Ivan Veselý, chairman of the Dženo Association, a Romany rights group.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
 |
This Romani-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
