Moldovan government hosts event on International Roma Day

Chisinau, 8 April /MOLDPRES/- On International Roma Day, marked on 8 April, the government hosted an online roundtable today on the 50th anniversary of the first Romani Congress in London in 1971, the government's communication and protocol department has reported.

The event was attended by acting Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi, Minister of Education, Culture and Research Lilia Pogolșa, the head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova, Peter Michalko, representatives of the Interethnic Relations Agency, associations in the field, development partners and representatives of the Roma community in Moldova. The meeting was organized to draw the attention of decision makers to the needs of the Roma community in order to ensure full inclusion in society.

To improve the economic situation of the Roma and ensure their active participation in the social and political life of the country, the government implemented in 2016-2020 an action plan to support the Roma population in Moldova. Thus, it was managed to ensure the free transportation of Roma students from rural areas to and from educational institutions over distances exceeding 2 km, material aid was offered to Roma from socially vulnerable families for rehabilitation / repair of housing, as required by law and the process of establishing identity and getting identity documents for Roma had been significantly simplified.

At the same time, the Minister of Education said that in 2020 the number of Roma children institutionalized in kindergartens and schools has increased. Currently, MECC is under elaboration of a new Program to support the Roma population for 2021 - 2025 and the action plan aimed to solve many problems. 

The premier said that a cross-sectoral approach is needed to solve the problems, by involving all responsible authorities. "I assure you the draft plan will certainly be incisive and with concrete measures. I hope the representatives of the Roma ethnic group will become as inclusive as possible in society and living standard be good, no longer have out-of-school children ", said Aureliu Ciocoi.

EU Ambassador Peter Michalko praised that public authorities pay particular attention to the problems facing the Roma community, as it is an important part of the population, and reiterated that the EU will continue to support the effective approach to social inclusion of the Roma.

30 representatives of the Roma ethnicity will be awarded the government diploma, as a sign of gratitude and appreciation for their contribution to strengthening Roma civil society in the Republic of Moldova, active involvement in the social and political life of the country, and on the occasion of International Roma Day.

On 8 April 1971, the First International Roma Congress approved a number of important decisions aimed at strengthening Roma in different parts of the world. The decision was made to remove the ethnonym "gypsy" from international use, being replaced by "Roma". The Roma flag was approved and the international Roma anthem was chosen. According to the population census in the Republic of Moldova, 9323 people were officially registered who identified as Roma, but reports and studies conducted by international organizations estimate that their number would reach up to 250,000 people.

photo: Government