A New Strategy for Improved Roma Position

The Roma Position Improvement Strategy has not contributed to implementation of its main goal - improvement of the position of the Roma, so it is necessary to create a new one. This was the major conclusion of the 'Towards an New Roma Position Improvement Strategy' conference hosted by the Human and Minority Rights Office  and the Roma League held in Belgrade, Serbia, yesterday.

The participants pointed to the key reasons due to which the 2009 Strategy failed to produce the expected results. They are lack of strong political will and interest with the public services, no clearly defined strategic paradigm, no public authority to manage its implementation, etc.

In order to diminish the discrepancies between the Roma and the rest of the population, before defining a new strategy it is necessary to deal with the dilemmas concerning the number of beneficiaries using the strategic and affirmative measures, as well as concerning the basic unit upon which the Roma inclusion process relies. There were opinions that considering Roma families the basic inclusion reliance factor is conservative and excluding.

Several participants pointed to the emancipatory potentials of culture and its significance for the Roma identity preservation. There is a strong need for a cultural solidarity that, as they stated, lost its status of a key social value under the prevailing neoliberal conditions. Besides employment and security, the Roma need a strong political party. Since, as Osman Balic pointed out, if a choir competition requires a choir, there is no chance for success in a political competition without a strong party articulating and advocating for the interest of the Roma.

The operational conclusions implementation report of the Roma Men and Women Social Inclusion Training, as well as the initiatives contributing to the creation of a new Strategy, were also presented during the conference, attended also by the Provincial Protector of citizens - Ombudsman representatives - the National Minority Protection Deputy Ombudswoman Еvа Vukаsinоvic and Pаvеl Dоmоnji.