Towards an effective Action Plan on Roma and Sinti Issues
Yet another action plan?
It was an opening message that some 200 participants hardly expected to hear at a gathering aimed specifically at boosting preparations for an OSCE Action Plan on Roma and Sinti. "Frankly, I do not believe in the merits of yet another action plan," said Lalla Weiss in her keynote address at the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Roma and Sinti, which took place in Vienna under the aegis of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
The prominent Sinti activist from the Netherlands was not alone in giving vent to the frustration felt by those who have been working so tirelessly to promote the rights of Roma communities and related groups.
Gap between intentions and implementation
In an interview, Nicolae Gheorghe, who has been serving as the OSCE's Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues since 1999, explains what lies behind the prevailing sentiment.
"There is a growing gap between an almost restless activism on the international stage and the situation on the ground, where we are not seeing as much tangible progress as we would like," he says. "Discrimination, racially and ethnically motivated violence, poor access to communal services, and lack of economic opportunities continue to drive many Roma away from their home countries to search for more security and a better life in the West."
The Balkan wars and the enlargement of the European Union thrust Central Europe's large and long-ignored Roma and Sinti minorities into the limelight. However, lack of proper co-ordination and well-designed strategies has meant that the generous assistance that has flowed in from a sympathetic donor community over the past decade has not had as much impact as it could have.
Concentration of efforts
Mr. Gheorghe, the main organizer of the meeting, argues against an OSCE Action Plan that attempts to address the full spectrum of problems faced by Roma and Sinti. He calls instead for a concentration of efforts on issues where the Organization can really make a substantial difference, citing two promising programme areas: improving the situation of Roma and Sinti in conflict and post-conflict societies, and encouraging individuals and communities to play an active role in political life.
The first international organization to recognize the special problems of Roma, the OSCE established the Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues within the ODIHR in 1994.
Time to rethink strategies
A Roma from Romania, Mr. Gheorghe believes that international work in this field should enter a new phase. "It is time to pause, rethink current strategies and move away from approaches driven by emotional impulses and by the growing 'market' for high-visibility projects," he says.
Two years ago, Mr. Gheorghe initiated the creation of an international contact group to improve the interaction between the main actors working on Roma-related issues.
"We need to sit down - governments, the OSCE, the European Union, the Council of Europe and others - and think about who should be doing what," he continues. "The proposed OSCE Action Plan will be able to help in this process if it is well-co-ordinated and avoids the trap of drawing up a comprehensive and over-ambitious wish-list."
A working group has been set up in the Permanent Council to develop the Action Plan, chaired by Ambassador Liviu Bota, head of Romania's Delegation to the OSCE. It is expected to be adopted by the OSCE Ministerial Council in December.
Involvement of Roma
At the two-day preparatory meeting in Vienna, several participants said they hoped that Roma organizations would be closely involved in the process, possibly through a permanent representation in the working group or through an ad hoc consultative body. This would enable the voices of those directly affected by the proposed measures to be given an adequate hearing.
The drafting of the OSCE Action Plan has presented the OSCE and its participating States with a unique opportunity to win over the sceptics by taking up the challenge presented by Ms. Weiss: to set "concrete, obtainable goals" that can ease the lives of millions of Roma and Sinti in the OSCE area, and to go beyond meetings "saying all kinds of beautiful things about Sinti and Roma".
It was an opening message that some 200 participants hardly expected to hear at a gathering aimed specifically at boosting preparations for an OSCE Action Plan on Roma and Sinti. "Frankly, I do not believe in the merits of yet another action plan," said Lalla Weiss in her keynote address at the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Roma and Sinti, which took place in Vienna under the aegis of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
The prominent Sinti activist from the Netherlands was not alone in giving vent to the frustration felt by those who have been working so tirelessly to promote the rights of Roma communities and related groups.
Gap between intentions and implementation
In an interview, Nicolae Gheorghe, who has been serving as the OSCE's Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues since 1999, explains what lies behind the prevailing sentiment.
"There is a growing gap between an almost restless activism on the international stage and the situation on the ground, where we are not seeing as much tangible progress as we would like," he says. "Discrimination, racially and ethnically motivated violence, poor access to communal services, and lack of economic opportunities continue to drive many Roma away from their home countries to search for more security and a better life in the West."
The Balkan wars and the enlargement of the European Union thrust Central Europe's large and long-ignored Roma and Sinti minorities into the limelight. However, lack of proper co-ordination and well-designed strategies has meant that the generous assistance that has flowed in from a sympathetic donor community over the past decade has not had as much impact as it could have.
Concentration of efforts
Mr. Gheorghe, the main organizer of the meeting, argues against an OSCE Action Plan that attempts to address the full spectrum of problems faced by Roma and Sinti. He calls instead for a concentration of efforts on issues where the Organization can really make a substantial difference, citing two promising programme areas: improving the situation of Roma and Sinti in conflict and post-conflict societies, and encouraging individuals and communities to play an active role in political life.
The first international organization to recognize the special problems of Roma, the OSCE established the Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues within the ODIHR in 1994.
Time to rethink strategies
A Roma from Romania, Mr. Gheorghe believes that international work in this field should enter a new phase. "It is time to pause, rethink current strategies and move away from approaches driven by emotional impulses and by the growing 'market' for high-visibility projects," he says.
Two years ago, Mr. Gheorghe initiated the creation of an international contact group to improve the interaction between the main actors working on Roma-related issues.
"We need to sit down - governments, the OSCE, the European Union, the Council of Europe and others - and think about who should be doing what," he continues. "The proposed OSCE Action Plan will be able to help in this process if it is well-co-ordinated and avoids the trap of drawing up a comprehensive and over-ambitious wish-list."
A working group has been set up in the Permanent Council to develop the Action Plan, chaired by Ambassador Liviu Bota, head of Romania's Delegation to the OSCE. It is expected to be adopted by the OSCE Ministerial Council in December.
Involvement of Roma
At the two-day preparatory meeting in Vienna, several participants said they hoped that Roma organizations would be closely involved in the process, possibly through a permanent representation in the working group or through an ad hoc consultative body. This would enable the voices of those directly affected by the proposed measures to be given an adequate hearing.
The drafting of the OSCE Action Plan has presented the OSCE and its participating States with a unique opportunity to win over the sceptics by taking up the challenge presented by Ms. Weiss: to set "concrete, obtainable goals" that can ease the lives of millions of Roma and Sinti in the OSCE area, and to go beyond meetings "saying all kinds of beautiful things about Sinti and Roma".