During the IRU Parliamentary Session that was held in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia on June 1, the IRU delegate from Germany Sevgul Sali had his part in the presentation about some of his activities in the country where he works and is active. Among other things, he mentioned during the presentation: "The discrimination of Roma and Sinti - both immigrant and local families - in the German education system, which has been repeatedly proven in studies, is one of the results of centuries of stigmatization of Roma and Sinti as supposedly unintegrable "gypsies". Therefore, the vast majority of families today prefer not to be "recognized" as Roma or Sinti at school. Therefore, the educational success of these families can hardly be perceived by teachers.

Especially socially disadvantaged families perceive the formal education and employment system as closed and inaccessible due to discrimination. Non-formal education and employment are seen as more promising and are sometimes interpreted as part of cultural identity. On the other hand, the problematic behavior of individual students or Roma families in school and society is too often generalized and seen as "typical for Roma", even more so when families describe their informal orientation as "typical Roma". As we have already mentioned, the many formed Roma or Sinti families are not noticed. Schools often associate "being Roma" with low expectations for success in education. Roma or Sinti are rarely part of teams and shared history and the many contributions of Roma and Sinti to European development are not discussed in classes, making it difficult for classmates and parents to appreciate Roma culture and history.

Overcoming this disadvantage through the work of Roma as educational mediators therefore focuses on anti-discrimination AND social and educational inclusion. The reason for the disadvantage, which affects only Roma and Sinti in this form, can only be solved by gradually breaking down stereotypes and increasing the expectations of success from all sides when it comes to equal participation in education for Roma and Sinti. The explicit stigmatization of Roma and Sinti requires an explicit response. Social disadvantage, on the other hand, affects the poor Sinti and Roma, as well as other families - local as well as immigrants. The same support for all children in need is also necessary to avoid envy and resentment and not to inflame resentment against Roma and Sinti. In addition, Roma educational mediators, as sympathizers of all children, are a counter-model to the racist clichés that can be spread at home.

Therefore, the EU Commission proposes to promote improved access to education for children from disadvantaged Roma and Sinti families through explicit measures (for Roma and Sinti) that are not exclusive to local implementation, but are available to all children as support.

The ten common basic principles for the inclusion of socially vulnerable Roma families (resolution of the Council of Social Ministers of the EU from 2010) emphasize the need for targeted measures that are explicitly aimed at such families in order to ensure their effective inclusion in projects. At the same time, according to the existing capacities, all other persons who need support should be included in the implementation of the measures, in order not to act on the measures and strengthen the existing dissatisfaction towards the Roma.„

As an accredited and authorized person who has his own ECOSOC status in the UN, upon invitation from the General Assembly, IRU President Zoran Dimov took part in the discussion of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. The theme for the 78th session was "Rebuilding Trust and Rekindling Global Solidarity: Accelerating Action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals Towards Peace, Prosperity, Progress and Sustainability for All".

First, the UN Secretary General addressed this session of the General Debate and presented his report on the work of the Organization, which is available online in six official languages and in two accessibility formats.

The report presents the work of the United Nations Secretariat to support Member States in the 2030 Agenda, advance climate action, promote gender equality, protect human rights, promote peace and security, coordinate humanitarian aid, promote justice and international law, advancing disarmament, increasing drug control, crime prevention, combating international terrorism, and consolidating United Nations reforms.

In that direction, the president of the IRU, Dimov, through his report, presented the commitments and efforts of the IRU in some of the topics that were represented at this 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

Povodom dana 11.03.2023 izjave gradonačelnika Beograda Aleksandra Šapića o integraciji Roma, svoju reakciju i Protesnu notu šalje I  Internacionlna Romska Unija - IRU u ime svih njenih 70 članova I delegata iz 50 zemalja iz celog sveta.

Internacionalna Romska Unija poziva Presednika Republike Srbije g-dina Aleksanda Vučiča, presednika Vlade Republike Srbija Ana Brnabič, do skupštine Republike Srbije , svih poslanika a naročito do poslanika Romske nacionalnosti Nataša Tasič Knezevič, Dragoljub Ackovič, Sandra Jokovič, zatim poverenicu za zaštitu ravnopravnosti da reaguje na nedavne izjave gradonačelnika Beograda Aleksandra Šapića u medijima, koje se odnose na romsku zajednicu u Beogradu. Govoreći za medije povodom nedavne tragedije u jednom od „divljih“ beogradskih romskih naselja, kada je stradalo jednoipogodišnje dete, gradonačelnik Beograda tvrdio je da problem divljih naselja nije rešen jer, kako je istakao, Romi neće da žive u malim sredinama, ne zadržavaju dugo u stanovima koji im se dodeljuju i demoliraju ih i da vode život na način koji ugrožava ne samo njih, već i druge Beograđane. Takođe, u istoj izjavi Rome opisuje kao ljude koji prose, kradu i sakupljaju sekundarne sirovine.

Internacionalna Romska Unia - IRU je na stavu da takva generalizacija pojačava uveliko prisutne i jako izražene stereotipe i negativne stavove prema Romskoj zajednici, koja već pati od društvene isključenosti, siromaštva, stigmatizacije i diskriminacije.

Internaciona Romska Unija - IRU upozorava da su ovakve izjave opasne, pogotovu kada dolaze od ljudi koji su na visokim pozicijama i uživaju određeni ugled u društvu, i poziva na poštovanje ljudskih prava svih građana, bez obzira na njihovu nacionalnost, veroispovest ili etničko poreklo. Pozivamo gradonačelnika Beograda, Aleksandra Šapića da preduzme mere za osnaživanje i integraciju Romskih zajednica, umesto da ih stigmatizuje i izoluje, i tražimo da iskoristi sve dostupne mehanizme I sredstva da pruži podršku obrazovanju, zapošljavanju i poboljšanju stambenih uslova, kao i uklanjanju barijera koje romskoj zajednici sprečavaju pristup pravima i uslugama.

Pored toga, Internacionalna Romska Unija – IRU  poziva na podizanje svesti javnosti o diskriminaciji i stigmatizaciji kojoj su Romi izloženi. Pozivamo sve državne institucije , ukjljučujuči I presednika Aleksandra Vučiča, Premiera Ana Brnabič kao I svi ostali da se uključe u izgradnju inkluzivnog društva koje poštuje različitosti i promoviše solidarnost.

Nadamo se da će gradonačelnik preduzeti potrebne korake da se Romskoj zajednici pruži potrebna podrška i da će se osigurati da se takve izjave više nikada ne čuju.

Zbog toga se ovom problemu mora pristupiti pažljivo, uz suštinsko razumevanje svih okolnosti i poštovanje  osnovnih ljudskih prava svih građana i uključivanje njihovih predstavnika, organizacija civilnog društva i drugih državnih aktera.

Važno bi bilo da gradonačelnik glavnog grada jedne evropske zemlje shvati zašto je opasna  diskriminatorna retorika i da se zbog toga I javno izvini.

To bi značilo da treba da se okrene “novi list” , u suprotnom IRU če biti primoran da reaguje I do međunarodne institucije zbog vakvih “ispada”, a ako I država ne reaguje , to zaniči da I Republika Srbija “aminuje” izjavu gradonačalnika Beograda Aleksandra Šapiča.

Dana 12.mart 2023

Zoran Dimov

President of the

International Romani Union – IRU

Dear IRU members, delegates, and IRU Friends

I would like to remind you in the name of the IRU and in my name as its president that one of the darkest pasts of the Roma nation is approaching, and that is the 2nd August Holocaust against the Roma and Sinti.

By marking this day, we should remember one of the greatest defeats of humanity in history, and therefore the holocaust on Romit and Sinti must not remain forgotten as they call it - "the forgotten Holocaust".

"With this event, we commemorate one of the most tragic events and processes in the history of mankind - the Holocaust that was perpetrated against the Roma and Sinti during the Second World War, as part of the darkest idea for the so-called "final solution" of the Nazi and fascist threat to the free world during that period. This is the day we remember that between 1933 and 1945, the Nazis and their collaborators killed hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti – men, women and children – in the parts of Europe that were under fascist occupation."

Therefore, on this day, we appeal to all our members and delegates, and at the same time to all institutions of a local, regional, national and international character, to mark this day and thus to pay respect to all those who suffered during that Holocaust. and a message to never repeat it again.

We remind you that on April 8, 2015, the European Parliament adopted a resolution declaring August 2 as the European Day of Remembrance for the Roma Holocaust, in order to honor the victims of the Roma genocide of the Second World War.

Adequate recognition of the treatment of Roma in the past is essential not only to ensure justice and dignity for those who have suffered, but also to confront anti-Roma speech and behaviour, and permanently eliminate it.

With respect

Zoran Dimov

President of the IRU