VZCZCXRO6136
PP RUEHAST RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHC #3473/01 3252337
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 202330Z NOV 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 5767
INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 123473 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OSCE PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: OSCE GUIDANCE: DRAFT MINISTERIAL DECISION ON 
IMPROVING THE SITUATION OF ROMA AND SINTI 
 
REF: USOSCE 279 
 
¶1.  Per reftel request for guidance, the Department agrees 
that the Roma and Sinti decision is a worthwhile one.  The 
Department would like USOSCE to seek an edit in preambular 
paragraph two, replacing the word "people" with the word 
"persons" so that the sentence reads: "Recognizing the 
important framework the Action Plan provides for the 
promotion and protection of the human rights of Roma and 
Sinti persons by the participating States,".  This change is 
necessary to avoid implying that groups, rather than 
individuals, have human rights.  Given the status of 
negotations, however, and the Department's judgment that this 
one flaw does not warrant blocking the decision outright, 
USOSCE is authorized to join consensus on the draft 
Ministerial Decision on Improving the Situation of Roma and 
Sinti (MC.DD/4/08/Rev.4) as it stands even if other 
participating States do not support this proposal. The full 
text of the Decision is at paragraph 2. 
 
 
¶2. (U) Begin Text 
 
The Ministerial Council, 
 
 Reaffirming the OSCE's commitments regarding Roma and Sinti, 
especially those in the 2003 Action Plan on Improving the 
Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area, 
 
 Recognizing the important framework the Action Plan provides 
for the promotion and protection of the human rights of Roma 
and Sinti people by the participating States, 
 
 Calling upon the participating States to enhance their 
efforts to ensure that Roma and Sinti people are able to 
participate fully in societies and to take measures to 
eradicate discrimination against 
them, 
 
 Reminding that racism and discrimination continue to affect 
Roma and Sinti across the OSCE area and that participating 
States have committed themselves to strengthen their policies 
and the practical measures they undertake to counter these 
phenomena, 
 
 Recalling the importance of Roma culture and language as a 
part of the cultural heritage of many countries and as an 
integral element of Roma and Sinti identity, 
 
 Noting the ODIHR's Status Report 2008 (Status Report) on the 
Implementation of the Action Plan on Improving the Situation 
of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area as a means for 
supporting the effective implementation of OSCE commitments 
related to Roma and Sinti, 
 
 Reiterating the input of the ODIHR Contact Point for Roma 
and Sinti Issues in the process of regular review and 
assessment of the implementation of the Action Plan, 
 
 Recalling the importance of relevant OSCE institutions and 
structures in supporting the implementation of the Action 
Plan and also stressing the importance of effective 
co-ordination and co-operation within the OSCE, 
 
 Taking note of the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting 
that took place on 10 and 11 July 2008 on sustainable 
policies for Roma and Sinti integration, 
 
 Determined to enhance OSCE efforts to implement the Action 
Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the 
OSCE Area, 
 
¶1. Urges the participating States to provide for equal access 
to education and to promote early education for Roma and 
Sinti children, as an instrument for preventing social 
exclusion and marginalization and for effecting a long-term 
improvement in the situation of Roma and Sinti. In this 
context, underlines that educational policies should aim to 
integrate Roma and Sinti people into mainstream education; 
 
¶2. Calls upon the ODIHR, within existing resources, to assist 
participating States upon their request in promoting access 
of Roma and Sinti children to early education. In this 
regard, urges participating States when appropriate to 
undertake awareness raising initiatives, also including Roma 
and Sinti communities, on the benefits of early education; 
 
 
STATE 00123473  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶3. Calls on the participating States, in co-operation with 
Roma and Sinti people to step up their efforts in raising 
awareness among Roma and Sinti of the importance of school 
enrolment and continuous 
school attendance; 
 
¶4. Encourages the participating States to take into 
consideration Roma and Sinti issues when reviewing their 
legislation and policies affecting Roma and Sinti, especially 
in the priority areas of the 2003 Action Plan on Improving 
the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area; 
 
¶5. Calls for appropriate national authorities relevant to the 
situation of Roma and Sinti, such as those relating to 
minorities, access to health services, education, housing, 
anti-discrimination work, police and media, to enhance their 
efforts to ensure the implementation of OSCE commitments 
within national legislation on equality and 
non-discrimination. In this context, special attention should 
be paid to the situation of Roma women and girls; 
 
¶6. Encourages the participating States who have not yet done 
so to put in place institutional frameworks involving Roma 
and relevant governmental bodies, at appropriate levels in 
order to facilitate the implementation of policies and 
programmes aimed at improving the situation of Roma and Sinti; 
 
¶7. Encourages participating States to reinforce their efforts 
to actively engage Roma and Sinti communities in policy 
making concerning Roma and Sinti and to promote effective 
participation by Roma and Sinti in public and political life; 
 
¶8. Calls for continued co-ordination and co-operation within 
existing resources within the OSCE and with relevant 
international actors such as the Council of Europe and the 
European Commission when appropriate; 
 
¶9. Calls for enhanced efforts to raise awareness of OSCE 
commitments on Roma and Sinti and in this regard stresses the 
value of reporting by the Director of ODIHR as part of his 
regular reporting to the Permanent Council on the status of 
implementation of the Action Plan, as stipulated in Chapter 
X, articles 133 and 134 of the Action Plan itself. 
 
End text of decision. 
RICE