On the occasion of the International Day of Roma, 8 April, the Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland released the following statement:

"International Roma Day should remind us of the Roma people’s rich contribution to European culture. [...] However, the sad reality is that most of Europe’s ten million Roma still live in segregation and dire poverty. [...] The Roma people face discrimination in the media, in politics and in the jobs market on a daily basis. [...] Mayors and local councils in cities like Duisburg, Germany and Strasbourg, France, deserve praise for resisting populist sentiment as they work hard to find humane solutions. International organisations including the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the Open Society Foundation agree that the focus of assistance must now be at the local level".

Full statement (press release)
Photo exhibition: Accomplished paths of integration

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