On June 28, 2011, the International Steering Committee pledged its full commitment to helping ensure the success of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies.
Below is the full text of the pledge:
Decade of Roma Inclusion Endorsement Pledge to Support the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020
Endorsed by the 20th International Steering Committee Meeting on 28 June 2011 in Prague, Czech Republic
Our governments, having pledged at the launch of the Decade of Roma Inclusion in 2005 to strive towards eliminating discrimination and closing the unacceptable gaps between Roma and the rest of society, fully endorse the Communication from the European Commission on “An EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020” and the Council conclusions adopted on 10 May 2011.
We pledge our full commitment to bring all of the experience of the Decade—its convening power, the knowledge gained in over five years of exchanging best practices with a wide array of partners, including NGOs, UN agencies, the World Bank and the Open Society Foundations—to ensure that the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies meets its primary stated objective: to put an end to the exclusion of Roma.
We will update and further develop our Decade National Action Plans to meet the Council conclusions’ invitation for states to develop a fully comprehensive approach to Roma inclusion. We will set achievable national goals in the priority areas of education, employment, healthcare and housing; we will put in place monitoring mechanisms to measure and report annually on progress made; and we will make existing EU funds more accessible for Roma inclusion projects so that they effectively “address new needs, simplify delivery and speed up the implementation of priorities”.
We propose that the European Platform for Roma Inclusion be greatly strengthened by the creation of thematic working groups. We pledge our full commitment to contribute to the work of the Platform, and we offer the active assistance of the Decade Secretariat.
We pledge that all measures developed under the Framework by our governments will be aligned with the 10 Common Basic Principles for Roma Inclusion adopted by the European Commission. And we fully endorse the call in the Council conclusions “to promote the empowerment, active involvement and participation of Roma at all levels of policy development, decision-making and implementing of measures”.
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