PARIS, November 29, 2004 – Representatives from international financial organizations, donor governments, and Roma leaders will meet in Paris on December 2 and 3 to pledge their financial support for the Roma Education Fund, which aims to reduce the access gap to quality education between Roma and non-Roma in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Donor’s Conference, co-hosted by the World Bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), and the Open Society Institute (OSI), will garner an initial sum to provide financing for improving educational outcomes for Roma communities. The Fund will be sustained by additional pledges over the course of the next ten years. The Education Fund aims to be operational by 2005. Initial attention will focus on Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovakia, but other countries could be added.

Press conference:         12:30 – 1:15 pm

Remarks by Shigeo Katsu, World Bank Vice-President for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Deborah Harding, Open Society Institute Vice President, a representative from CEB, as well as by Roma representatives. Details TBC.

Date:                             Friday, December 3, 2004

Location:                       World Bank Office

                                     66, avenue d’Iena

                                     75116 Paris

An information officer will meet media in the lobby.

For details on the World Bank’s work on Roma, visit:  www.worldbank.org/roma

For details on OSI’s work on Roma, visit: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/roma/

For details on CEB, visit: http://www.coebank.org/homeen.htm