Secretary Clinton's Message on Roma Day April 8th, 2009
"International Roma Day is an opportunity for us to call
attention to the history, experiences, and human rights of
Europe,s largest ethnic minority.
Promoting and protecting the rights of Roma has long been of
personal interest to me, because I saw firsthand the plight
of the Roma--particularly Romani women and children--when I
visited Roma communities in Central and Eastern Europe as our
country,s First Lady. As a member of the Helsinki
Commission, I urged governments to do more to protect and
promote the 10 million Roma who live in Europe.
Despite important progress that has been made in the past
decade, many Roma still live on the margins of society. They
continue to experience racial profiling, violence,
discrimination, and other human rights abuses. Too often,
they lack identity documents or citizenship papers, which
excludes them from voting or social services and
education--even employment opportunities that would enable
them to participate more fully in the countries in which they
live.
The United States is committed to protecting and promoting
the human rights of Roma throughout our bilateral relations
and our involvement in organizations such as the United
Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe. We believe governments do have a special
responsibility to ensure that minority communities have the
tools of opportunity that they need to succeed as productive
and responsible members of society. So I urge governments
throughout Europe to continue their efforts to address the
plight of Roma, to end discrimination and ensure equality of
opportunity in education and employment.
I am particularly concerned about Roma children being able to
grow up and fulfill their own God-given potential. You know,
Roma have a rich artistic and cultural heritage, which has
left an indelible mark across Europe and the world.
It is in the interest of the larger European and global
community to create conditions that maximize success for all
of the people within our borders and beyond. I hope that
events taking place at our embassies and missions around the
world on International Roma Day will be one more step on the
path to helping Roma reach a better and brighter future. And
the United States stands ready to help make that a reality.
Thank you very much."