On June 15, 2015, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Rita Izsak presented her Comprehensive Study of the Human Rights Situation of Roma Worldwide, with a Particular Focus on the Phenomenon of Anti-Gypsyism. She presented the report to the Human Rights Council at its 29th Session.
On June 15, 2015, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Rita Izsak presented her Comprehensive Study of the Human Rights Situation of Roma Worldwide, with a Particular Focus on the Phenomenon of Anti-Gypsyism. She presented the report to the Human Rights Council at its 29th Session. This report is the result of the Council’s resolution 26/4 adopted on July 14, 2014, which recognised the need to carry out a comprehensive study of the human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of Anti-Gypsyism. In its operative paragraph number 3, the resolution invited the Special Rapporteur on minority issues to prepare a study with concrete recommendations in consultation with States, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, regional arrangements, and relevant special procedures and treaty bodies, and to submit it to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-ninth session.
The subsequent report provides an overview of the human rights situation of Roma worldwide, applying a minority rights-based approach to the protection and promotion of the rights of Roma, including the protection of their existence; the prevention of violence against Roma; the protection and promotion of Roma identity; the guarantee of the rights to non-discrimination and equality, including combating racism, anti-Gypsyism and structural discrimination; and the guarantee of the right of Roma to effective participation in public life, especially with regard to decisions affecting them. Drawing on the responses to her questionnaire, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues provides an overview of trends in State practice, highlighting positive developments as well as challenges.
Among its recommendations, the report states: “There is a need for integrated approaches that combine measures in different policy areas, strengthen political will at the national and local levels in particular and build mutual trust and an openness to learn from past mistakes. Inclusion programmes should not be limited to material improvements; they should also contribute to the empowerment of both urban and rural Roma communities, strengthen dedicated institutional attention to Roma rights and encourage Roma leadership in order to break the vicious cycle of discrimination and marginalization. Such programmes should ensure that Roma groups most at risk of discrimination and/or social and economic exclusion are also targeted and empowered.”
To read the full report, click here.
