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OSCE supports first Roma roundtable in Albania
TIRANA 10 January 2003
TIRANA, 10 January 2003 - In the first roundtable held in Albania on Roma issues, local and international organizations sat down together with representatives of the Albanian government to discuss policy-making on Roma in the country.
The two-day roundtable, which ends today in Tirana, was a joint project of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Council of Europe and the European Commission within the framework "Roma and the Stability Pact for the Southeastern Europe."
"The involvement of so many national and international agencies is an indication of how important we regard these issues to be," said Alex Finnen, Deputy Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania. "This roundtable is a good example of inter-agency co-operation with the Government of Albania and we thank the government for its involvement, interest and assistance."
The roundtable focused on the education and protection of children's rights in a multi-cultural society. During the two-day discussions, the participants shared views about current issues related to Roma communities in Albania and policy-making for improving the situation.
The Albanian government and the Roma non-governmental organizations agreed to work together to design a common platform for improving the life of the Roma community in Albania.
As a first follow up measure, an existing government working group in charge of drafting a policy on Roma will include representatives and experts provided by the network of Roma non-governmental organizations.
The two-day roundtable, which ends today in Tirana, was a joint project of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Council of Europe and the European Commission within the framework "Roma and the Stability Pact for the Southeastern Europe."
"The involvement of so many national and international agencies is an indication of how important we regard these issues to be," said Alex Finnen, Deputy Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania. "This roundtable is a good example of inter-agency co-operation with the Government of Albania and we thank the government for its involvement, interest and assistance."
The roundtable focused on the education and protection of children's rights in a multi-cultural society. During the two-day discussions, the participants shared views about current issues related to Roma communities in Albania and policy-making for improving the situation.
The Albanian government and the Roma non-governmental organizations agreed to work together to design a common platform for improving the life of the Roma community in Albania.
As a first follow up measure, an existing government working group in charge of drafting a policy on Roma will include representatives and experts provided by the network of Roma non-governmental organizations.