Confronting Anti-Gypsyism

On 6 September 2016 the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will hold the high-level event “Confronting Anti-Gypsyism - The role of political leaders in countering discrimination, racism, hate crimes and violence against Roma and Sinti communities” in Berlin.

The event is hosted by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in co-operation with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma.

The event is intended to strengthen coalition-building among political leaders and alliances between parliamentarians from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and national parliamentarians, including Roma parliamentarians, to counter hate speech, prejudice and discrimination against Roma and Sinti by publicly condemning anti-Roma rhetoric and racist violence for promoting equality and non-discrimination.

The Head of the Romanian Delegation to the IHRA, Mr Razvan Rusu, will represent the Romanian IHRA Chairmanship at the event. The IHRA has a Committee on the Genocide of the Roma which aims to increase the commitment of IHRA Member Countries to educate, research and remember the genocide of the Roma.

Both OSCE ODIHR and the Council of Europe are IHRA Permanent International Partner organizations.