We are pleased to inform you that a Donor Conference to mobilise funding to support the Roma Education Fund (REF) will be held at senior level in Brussels on 11-12 November 2009. The Conference is being organized under the banner of the Swedish Presidency of the European Union and with the World Bank and the Open Society Institute. The event will be hosted by Ms. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, World Bank and Mr. George Soros, Founder and Chairman, Open Society Institute.

Since it was established in 2005 the Roma Education Fund has committed more than €17 million to over 180 projects with NGO and government partners. These projects cover all levels of education and have enabled, for example, more than 10,000 children to attend pre-school programmes last year alone. In addition, REF manages the largest scholarship programme for Roma students in higher education; reaching approximately 800 students per year across 14 countries. REF has also developed into the premier knowledge centre for issues related to Roma education and has a large technical assistance and policy development programme. A recent external evaluation found that REF is a ‘committed, client friendly and efficient’ organisation.

The objective of this Conference is to raise resources to enable REF to continue its important work through the end of the Decade of Roma Inclusion in 2015. It will bring together REF’s current and prospective new donors in order to inform them about the achievements of REF since its establishment in 2005 and its vision for the rest of the Decade. The event will be closed by a press conference to provide additional international visibility.

More information about the conference, including the official invitation, agenda, the concept note and information on logistical arrangements will br available at the beginning of October.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the conference organizers at donorconference@romaeducationfund.org (Telephone: +32 2 504 0990; Fax: +32 2 504 0999).