Europe’s Roma Community the Focus of Bucharest Meeting

Contacts:

In Washington:

Christina Lakatos, +1-202-458-1343

clakatos@worldbank.org

In Romania:

Alexandra Caracoti, +40-21-201-0324

acaracoti@worldbank.org

Bucharest, November 17, 2005—Romanian Prime Minister Calin-Popescu Tariceanu hosts an international meeting on November 17 to assess progress achieved in addressing the situation of Roma communities in Central and South Eastern Europe. The meeting brings together senior representatives of the eight countries¹ that established the Decade of Roma Inclusion in February 2005. Roma leaders and international organizations, including the Open Society Institute (OSI), the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme, will also participate.

The Decade of Roma Inclusion is the first international effort designed to improve the lives of Roma and include them in the societies in which they live. Roma are now one of the largest, poorest, and fastest-growing minorities in Europe. The Decade, an initiative of the eight countries in collaboration with donors, sets forth national targets in four priority areas: education, housing, employment, and health.

“The last twelve months have seen some solid progress toward making the Decade a reality, but we need to focus more on substance and policy changes,” said Shigeo Katsu, Vice-President for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. “It is important to focus on specific ways to include Roma in our societies if we are to achieve the concrete results we all wish to see.”

The World Bank has promised technical assistance and advisory services and is helping to establish a trust fund from which the countries can draw for technical assistance and monitoring activities. The European Union has pledged Structural Funds and pre-accession funding for the Decade countries. OSI has established a special Roma Initiatives Office to guide and coordinate all aspects of its wide-ranging programming and grantmaking activities related to Roma beneficiaries.

Roma participants will play an integral role in the meeting, with young Roma leaders conducting a session and Roma activists and media participating in a media workshop. Representatives of the Decade’s international partners will give presentations on international support for the Decade.