BUCHAREST—George Soros today called for governments in Central and South East Europe to take action on an initiative to end discrimination against Roma, Europe’s largest minority. The initiative, called the Decade of Roma Inclusion, was endorsed by nine governments at its launch in February and represents an unprecedented international effort to ensure that Roma have equal access to education, housing, employment, and health care. Today’s event is the first steering committee meeting since Romania assumed the Decade’s rotating presidency.
Each of the countries participating in the Decade—Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovakia—has drafted individual action plans developed in cooperation with Roma leaders and civil society. However, much remains to be done to make the Decade a reality.
“I appreciate the huge challenges governments face in garnering public support for the Decade,” said George Soros, chair of the Open Society Institute, which helped develop the Decade. “But talking about reform is not enough. With Romania's leadership, the Decade countries must take concrete steps toward making the Decade a force for change in the region—for the benefit of all society as well as for the millions of Roma who are locked out of opportunities to create a better life for themselves.”
Soros praised the participating governments and urged them to do more in implementing the Decade action plans and allocating the necessary resources in state budgets. He also underscored the need for Roma themselves to be involved in steering the Decade’s course.
Other participants at the meeting included Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, Shigeo Katsu, the World Bank’s Vice-President for Europe and Central Asia Region, Anne de Ligne, Head of the Phare Section of the European Commission delegation in Romania, representatives of the participating governments, and those of the European Commission, the United Nations Development Programme, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the European Roma Information Office, the European Roma and Travelers Forum, the Council of Europe Development Bank, and Roma civil society leaders from the Decade countries.
Soros, whose Open Society Institute has spent some $70 million on programs aimed at combating discrimination against Roma, pledged continued financial support for the Decade, but emphasized that the participating governments must be accountable for its success. “The creation of the Decade shows that the political will exists to change the lives of Roma in Europe,” said Soros. “It is the governments’ responsibility, however, to translate the Decade goals into meaningful reform.”
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The Open Society Institute works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. Open societies are characterized by the rule of law; respect for human rights, minorities, and a diversity of opinions; democratically elected governments; market economies in which business and government are separate; and a civil society that helps keep government power in check.
Investor and philanthropist George Soros in 1993 created OSI as a private operating and grantmaking foundation to support his foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Those foundations were established, starting in 1984, to help countries make the transition from communism. OSI has expanded the activities of the Soros foundations network to encompass the United States and more than 60 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Each national foundation relies on the expertise of boards composed of eminent citizens who determine individual agendas based on local priorities.