Contacts:
Open Society Institute Budapest: Andy Haupert, +36 327 3010
ahaupert@osi.hu
The World Bank: Tunde Buzetzky, +421-908 430853
tbuzetzky@worldbank.org
Budapest, October 3, 2007— Representatives of the nine Roma Decade countries , Roma civil society, and international organizations gathered in Budapest for the eleventh Steering Committee Meeting of the Decade of Roma Inclusion on October 1-2. At the meeting, participants concluded that in spite of the efforts of the European Union institutions to address Roma social inclusion, it will be necessary to adopt a comprehensive EU Roma policy.
Participants at the discussions noted that the private sector might also play a beneficial role to promote social inclusion of the Roma, in ways including the development of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies. Another point of discussion was sharing of best practices regarding anti-segregation policies in the fields of education and housing. These measures may bring a new impetus to the continued efforts of the Decade.
The meeting was also attended by the representatives of the Government of Slovenia and the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina as observers.
“The Decade of Roma Inclusion offers an excellent opportunity for countries to join forces and take effective coordinated steps; however, we may need to put a special emphasis on the importance of wider social support,” stressed Hungarian Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. Monika Lampreth in her opening speech.
The Government of Hungary took over the Presidency of the Decade as of July 1, 2007. The Hungarian Government’s presidency program will focus on the following priorities:
1. Invite new interested governments to join the Decade: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Moldova, Portugal, Spain and Slovenia.
2. Action should be taken to persuade the institutions of the European Union to discuss the Decade of Roma Inclusion program and consider adopting a comprehensive Roma policy.
3. International and local awareness and support of the Roma Decade is to be raised.
4. On the basis of DecadeWatch monitoring report, common indicators are to be developed to further strengthen the monitoring of implementation of government actions.
5. Reinforce cooperation with private sector through Corporate Social Responsibility strategies to contribute to the education and employment of Roma.
The representatives of the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina who attended the meeting informed participants that the BiH government has adopted a Roma strategy, and that the development of an action plan will be completed soon to fulfill the necessary requirements to join the Decade initiative.
The next event to be held under the auspices of the Decade will be a workshop on housing, to be organized jointly by the Governments of Hungary and Croatia to share best practices in this field.
For more information, visit http://www.romadecade.org
|
RSS