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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Ciplic announces projects on improvement of Roma’s position

Novi Sad, 20 October 2008

Serbian Minister of Human and Minority Rights Svetozar Ciplic announced today in Novi Sad a series of projects and actions which will be carried out in order to improve the Roma position in Serbia.

Ciplic, President of the Vojvodina Executive Council Bojan Pajtic and representatives of specialist UN agencies in Serbia opened UN Week, which is devoted to the Roma needs and to the registration of Roma.

After meeting Permanent Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme in Serbia Lance Clark, Chief of UNHCR mission Lenart Kotsalainen and representatives of the other UN agencies, Ciplic stated that the Serbian government is obliged to improve the position of Roma and stressed that Serbia has an important task during the Decade of Roma.

He recalled that Serbia will preside over the Decade of Roma from June, therefore it will have an additional responsibility, and added that the pilot project of mobile health centres for Roma settlements has already been expanded, and is soon to start in Novi Sad, Belgrade and Nis.

He said that the policy towards Roma in Vojvodina is a positive example and it should be followed in other parts of Serbia, since concrete measures have been taken in the province.

Pajtic recalled that Roma education has been supported from the province’s budget for several years. The education of nearly 500 secondary school students and 100 university students in Novi Sad is now secured.

The province also supports Roma self-employment. Since securing better living conditions is of major importance, the fund for capital investments set aside RSD 300 million for buying homes, pointed out Pajtic.

Clark expressed satisfaction at the fact that Novi Sad started marking the UN Week, and added that Vojvodina had made very important steps concerning the improvement of the Roma position.

He noted that Serbia, presiding over the Decade of Roma, is to use the situation to set concrete goals concerning Roma’s registration, drafting the necessary laws and other solutions related to securing the rights of this socially vulnerable population.

Kotsalainen pointed out that the Roma’s predicament is one of the most serious problems facing Serbia and added that, by making concrete moves, Vojvodina had showed a readiness to solve the problems of refugees and displaced persons, amongst which there is a large number of Roma from Kosovo-Metohija.

Roma in Serbia, especially those in Kosovo-Metohija, are facing problems of obtaining IDs. Therefore, UNHCR has started a campaign in 20 municipalities in Serbia in order to stress the necessity of registration, stated Kotsalainen.

At the UN Week, Ciplic, representatives of the UN agencies, the Minority Rights Centre, Roma Inclusion Office and the Mayor of Novi Sad Igor Pavlicevic presented a project themed “Free Registration of Roma”.