Agreement on cooperation in Roma inclusion

Agreement on cooperation in Roma inclusion

Head of the Serbian Government Office for Human Rights Suzana Paunović opened a meeting in Belgrade by saying the Serbia had made significant progress in the implementation of the Roma inclusion strategy since its adoption in 2009.

According to Paunovic, 20,679 Roma have been entered into civil registries since 2009, and the plan is to register all those who are currently "legally invisible" by the end of 2015.

The percentage of the Roma children attending primary schools has gone up fivefold over the last 5 years, and thanks to measures introduced in 2003, 1,345 Roma have been enrolled in academic studies and 2,292 in secondary schools, she stated, adding that the project would allow the process of Roma education to continue.

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport said there had been progress in that joint project funded by the EU and implemented by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the Serbian government office for human and minority rights.

The EU motto is "United in diversity," Davenport stressed.

Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia Peter Burkhard said the OSCE had great expectations as it continued the partnership in order to include the Roma in all parts of life.

Joint mobile teams will allow for a much clearer picture of the needs of the Roma community, he remarked.

President of the Roma National Council Vitomir Mihajlović underscored that more than 600,000 Roma live in Serbia, adding that they are the largest minority and also in the worst position.

It is important to strengthen the civil sector because it can lead indirectly and in the long run to greater Roma participation in political life, which is necessary for true integration, head of the Council for Improvement of the Position of the Roma Sđjan Šajn emphasized.