Contact:
Ms Christina Lakatos
202-458-1343
clakatos@worldbank.org
Washington, September 23, 2005—Progress achieved since the launch of the Decade of Roma Inclusion seven months ago is the focus of a meeting in Washington, D.C. on September 23. The meeting brings together government representatives from the eight countries that signed on to the Decade in Sofia, Bulgaria in February 2005 and their international partners. Participants in the Washington meeting include European Union Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Hübner, representatives of Ministries of Finance from the eight Decade countries, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and the Open Society Institute (OSI). Countries participating in the Decade are Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, FYR Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia and Montenegro. The main challenge facing the Decade now is converting the national Decade action plans, which were announced in the spring of this year, into concrete policy actions to achieve the Decade’s goals. This means putting in place the institutions and finances necessary to achieve the goals. The aim is that policies will be clearly defined and financed, and incorporated into 2006 national budgets, over the next few months. “We are at a crucial stage in this important venture, and the Washington meeting should help in taking us closer to delivering on the expectations raised by the Decade among the millions of Roma living in Central and South East Europe,” said Annette Dixon, Director of Strategy and Operations for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. The Decade of Roma Inclusion represents the first cooperative international effort to change the lives of Roma. Roma are now one of the largest, poorest, and fastest growing minorities in Europe. Approximately 6 million Roma live in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, with nearly 5 million in the new member states of the European Union. A recent UNDP survey revealed sobering figures related to access to running water, education, and health care. For instance, in all countries surveyed except the Czech Republic, fewer than 2 of 10 Roma have completed primary education. An important development since the launch of the Decade of Roma Inclusion is the European Commission’s endorsement in May 2005 of the use of Structural Funds to co-finance activities that promote Roma inclusion. Already, Structural Funds have been made available to train the next generation of Roma leaders in southern Hungary. The governing board of the Roma Education Fund, which was set up at the same time as the Decade to address the Roma’s single greatest obstacle to integration, is currently evaluating its first round of grants. Approved grants will be announced in October. The International Steering Committee, which serves as the oversight body for the Decade, has met regularly since February. It is composed of government and Roma representatives from each country. Decade chairmanship rotates among the eight Decade governments, passing from Hungary to Romania in July. A major issue on the agenda of the committee is the establishment of a trust fund to facilitate coordination and exchange of experience among Decade countries. The fund will be financed by the Decade countries with matching funds from other sources such as the World Bank and OSI. In an effort to measure public attitudes towards the Roma, and of the Roma towards the general public, the World Bank and OSI are jointly funding a public opinion survey. The results will come out in November. This survey is the first of a series designed to gauge the evolution of attitudes during the course of the Decade. Meanwhile, UNDP is developing a set of national reports that analyze the causes and effects of poverty in Roma households in South Eastern Europe. The reports will offer indicators to measure poverty as well as formulate policy priorities. Furthermore, UNDP has established working groups to support governments in implementing and monitoring Decade Action Plans to combat Roma poverty.
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