SERBIA'S PRESIDENCY OF THE DECADE OF ROMA INCLUSION A MIXED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000357 DEPT FOR EUR/SCE(PETERSON, COFFIN) AND DRL/AE (NADEL) SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KPAO SR SUBJECT: SERBIA'S PRESIDENCY OF THE DECADE OF ROMA INCLUSION A MIXED BAG REF: STATE 20359 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) As Serbia marked International Roma Day on April 8 in its capacity as president of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015, its record on addressing the plight of Europe's largest ethnic minority remained spotty at best. Continued reports of discrimination, hate speech, and physical violence against the Romani community marred government efforts to facilitate access to basic rights such as housing, education, and employment. A controversial decision by Belgrade municipal authorities to raze an informal Romani settlement in advance of the July 2009 World University Games overshadowed adoption of a long-awaited government Strategy for Improving the Status of Roma. Similar to other challenges that Serbia faces as it moves toward Europe, this mixed report card demonstrates that only wholehearted commitment, backed by political will, is sufficient to overcome deep-seated societal and systemic prejudices that hinder progress. End Summary. Facts and Figures -------------- ¶2. (U) According to the results of the 2002 census, there were 108,200 Roma in Serbia, but most interlocutors, including the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, believe that there now are between 400,000-500,000 Roma living in Serbia. Similarly, as of the end of 2008, there were 22,104 officially registered Romani internally-displaced persons (IDPs),mostly from Kosovo and South Serbia, but UNHCR estimated that there actually were a total of 40,000 to 45,000 internally displaced Roma, many of whom presumably lacked personal documents necessary to register as IDPs. While some Romani IDPs lived in government-supported collective centers, living conditions for Roma (both local and IDPs) were generally extremely poor. According to an October 2008 Open Society Institute report, only two percent of Romani children were in preschool, while fewer than 40 percent attended primary school. One Step Forward... -------------- ¶3. (U) On July 1, 2008, Serbia assumed the rotating presidency of the 12-country Decade of Roma Inclusion (Decade),an international initiative that brings together governments, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, and Romani civil society to improve the welfare of Roma. Shortly thereafter, the government named improvement of housing conditions and abolition of discrimination in education as priorities for its presidency. ¶4. (U) In October 2008, Minister for Human and Minority Rights Svetozar Ciplic announced the start of a project that would allow Roma to register birth and other vital records free of charge. The state budget passed on December 29 allocated 1.2 billion dinars ($218 million) to improving the status of the Romani minority, ten times the sum set aside previously. ¶5. (U) The Human and Minority Rights Ministry, with support from UNDP and Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic, National Coordinator of the Decade, organized public hearings in Kragujevac, Nis, Novi Sad, and Belgrade on a draft Strategy for Improving the Status of Roma. This period of public debate culminated with the April 9 government adoption of the strategy. According to Assistant Human Rights Minister Petar Antic, the 71-page document, drafted with the help of non-governmental partners, contains a set of affirmative measures that, together with 12 action plans that target specific areas of concern such as access to health care and education, provide a roadmap for delivering basic human rights to the Romani community. Two Steps Back... -------------- ¶6. (U) Human and Minority Rights Ministry officials, however, faced an uphill battle as their efforts to support the Romani community collided with societal perceptions and realities. Osman Balic, coordinator of the League for the Decade, noted in September 2008 that public institutions continued to discriminate against Roma and appealed to the president and speaker of parliament to improve the situation. On January 8, 2009, unidentified perpetrators painted swastikas and graffiti declaring "Serbia for Serbs" on the walls of six Romani homes in Zajecar; police initiated an investigation for inciting national, racial, or religious hatred and intolerance, but did not make any arrests. ¶7. (U) After unsuccessful attempts over the past two years to find a solution, Belgrade municipal authorities on April 3 demolished an illegally established Romani settlement known as "Belville" in the New Belgrade district in order to clear the way for construction BELGRADE 00000357 002 OF 002 related to the World University Games in July 2009. Although the government on April 2 reportedly notified residents, most of whom were from South Serbia and Kosovo, it evidently did not have a plan in place to accommodate those whose cardboard "residences" were razed, and many families, including children, spent several nights sleeping outside. When city authorities attempted to house several of the families in three temporary housing containers in the Belgrade suburb of Boljevac, 50-60 local residents staged a demonstration and set one of the containers on fire while directing hate speech against the Roma. NGO representatives and Human Rights Ministry State Secretary Marko Karadzic denounced this reaction as outright racism and expressed concern that nobody offered assistance to their fellow citizens. ¶8. (U) Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas eventually announced on April 5 that municipal authorities would house in temporary shelters Belville inhabitants who were legal residents of Belgrade, but that other residents would need to return to the towns from which they came. The situation was far from clear cut, as our sources told us that there were allegations that the head of the Belville community had in the past intentionally organized illegal settlements on land planned for development in order to extract payment from the developer. Nonetheless, the timing of the controversial decision cast a shadow over International Roma Day events and the subsequent adoption of the government strategy. Embassy Efforts on Roma Day 2009 -------------- ¶9. (U) With the assistance of public diplomacy cultural programming funds, we partnered with the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and its NGO partner, the "Bibija" Roma Women's Center, to sponsor a concert in downtown Belgrade that featured a well-known Romani music group "Kal." We also funded a cultural event hosted by the Romani NGO "Novi Svet" (New World) at a square in the Vozdovac municipality in Belgrade. Emboffs attended and delivered the Secretary's Roma Day message in Serbian. In addition, the network of American Corners throughout Serbia held various events featuring the Secretary's videotaped International Roma Day message (Ref A). Comment -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Thanks in part to the push provided by its presidency of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, but mostly due to the dedication of Human and Minority Rights Ministry officials, Serbia has begun slowly and rather unevenly to address the issues that affect its Romani population. Although these developments are a welcome improvement, it likely will prove difficult amidst the burgeoning economic crisis to achieve the sustained commitment needed to produce measurable change. Even more formidable is the challenge of confronting and changing public perception and awareness. End Comment. PEDERSON