Bulgaria: Agreement between Roma community and government

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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 11:26:35 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Bulgaria: Agreement between Roma community and government

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: Human Rights Project <[email protected]>

Bulgaria: Agreement between Roma community and government


On March 24 1999, the Human Rights Project, its partner organizations
United Romani Union and the Confederation of Roma in Bulgaria, and
several other major Roma organizations in Bulgaria, have reached an
agreement with the Bulgarian government over a National Program for
the Roma People to be implemented by the government in the next 10
years. Almost one year following the initiative of the Human Rights
Project to start an advocacy campaign for the endorsement of a long
term strategy for the solution of the Roma problem, and after 6 months
of arduous debates over the political document "For Equal
Participation of Roma in the Public Life of Bulgaria", proposed by the
Roma community, the National Council for Ethnic and Demographic Issues
at the Bulgarian Council of Ministers signed an agreement with the
Roma organizations committing itself to consider their proposals as a
foundation of the National Program for the Roma People.
 
The program "For Equal Participation of Roma in the Public Life of
Bulgaria", drafted and approved by a large coalition of Roma
organizations throughout the country, is the first collective act of
decision-making by Roma people in this country and the most mature
accomplishment of the Roma civil rights movement. It manifests the
emancipated will of Roma people for a change in the state politics.
Created at the grassroots, by people from all over the country, who
declared that "the elimination of discrimination against Roma should
be one of the main political priorities of the Bulgarian state", this
document incorporates the fundamental values for equality and freedom
of development, set forward in the most progressive commitments of the
international community.
 
The key points of the document include:
 
- legislation changes for prevention of discrimination and racism;
 
- establishment of a state body for prevention of discrimination on
ethnic basis and for prevention of police brutality. This body will be
set up by a law within a year of the endorsement of the National
Program. Its members will be elected by Bulgarian Parliament. It will
have a headquarters in Sofia and regional subdivisions and its staff
will proportionately represent the ethnic composition of the
respective regions;
 
- establishment of a state fund for supporting businesses which employ
Roma;
 
- legalization of Roma houses through amendments in the Territorial
Development Act;
 
- desegregation of the schools in the Roma neighborhoods;
 
- elimination of all forms of "special" education on ethnic basis;
 
- special measures to counteract racism in the class-room;
 
- positive action in support of Roma applicants at the universities;
 
- introduction of Roma history and culture in the textbooks for all
levels of the Bulgarian school;
 
- support for the authentic Roma folklore and for the Roma cultural
institutions;
 
- guarantees for the equal participation of Roma in the public
electronic media and in the press.
 
The Human Rights Project, the United Romani Union and the
Confederation of Roma in Bulgaria, welcome the agreement between the
Roma community and the Bulgarian government. With the awareness that
the goals of the political document which has been agreed upon,
require a long process of resolute and effective action, we express
our hope that the act of signing of this agreement by the Bulgarian
government is an indication of its responsibility and determination to
work for the promotion of Roma rights.

-- 
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