Celebration of the 10th anniversary of Young Roma

Details: Monday, 11 May 2015 07:02

PROSLAVA1

Young Roma marked today 10 years of existence and successful efforts to improve the situation of the Roma population in Montenegro. The ceremony was held at the Community Centre in Herceg Novi.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Municipality of Herceg Novi, the OSCE Mission in Montenegro, Help, UNDP, the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, primary and secondary schools, as well as representatives of partner NGOs.

Executive Director of Young Roma, Mr Samir Jaha, thanked donors on their support, stating he expects that with the help of partners, the OSCE, UNDP and HELP, the organisation will continue to address the problems of housing, education, personal documentation, improving access to social protection and employment of Roma minority. Mr Jaha particularly emphasized long-standing support of the UNDP Montenegrp, which has played a key role in improving the capacity of the organization, but also in improving the situation of the Roma community, particularly with regard to civil registration.

Deputy-Mayor, Ms Tamara Vujović, reminded that on December 1, 2006, at the initiative of the local government and the NGO Young Roma, the office "Roma Centre" was opened, which became a linking bridge, enabling dialogue and understanding between local authorities and Roma community. Vujović stressed that "inclusion of Roma in society and fulfilling the obligations of the Declaration on the Decade of Roma is the priority of the local administration".

Senior Political Advisor to the OSCE Mission in Montenegro Mr Alyn Roberts, said that the situation of Roma in Montenegro is difficult. "Unlike other minority ethnic and national communities which are active participants of modern developments in the Montenegrin society, Roma and Egyptians are part of the most vulnerable marginalized ethnic group. Poor financial status, low levels of education, high unemployment, inadequate living and housing conditions, social exclusion, a specific way of life, as well as numerous stereotypes and prejudices that accompany this population are just some of the reasons for their difficult position in society", said Roberts. Mr Roberts emphasized the readiness of the OSCE Mission to continue providing support to activities in the field of Roma integration.

Executive director of the German humanitarian organization Help, Mr Klaus Mock Ten congratulated Young Roma on the 10 years of hard work and commitment to improving the situation of Roma community, praising in particular women's entrepreneurship project, which was realized in partnership with "Help" and supported by the German Embassy in Montenegro.

At the end of the ceremony there was a photo exhibition on the work and activities of the NGO Young Roma.