4th International Roma Women’s Conference

Your excellencies, Dear participants!

It is a great pleasure for me to attend this conferance.  

Women can achieve so much. (I know that from my own experience – meeting so many incredible women while travelling in Norway and abroad in my work as a politician.) Your presence here today show that you have a strong commitment to work for a better future for the Roma community. And you do well. You see the challenges and set your goals in order to make a better life, not only for women, but also for the children. Your work will be very important for the future generations of Roma.

The third International Roma Women’s Conferance in 2011 focused on growing anti-ziganism and poverty. These are still challenges that effect everyday life for Roma women in Europe today. On the previous conference, the Roma women agreed that education for Roma girls is an important investment for the future.

The Roma women need to serve as role models when it comes to education. They are often the ones getting the children to and from school. They help the children with homework. To be able to do all of this, Roma girls and women need education. In Norway, education for the Roma is top priority. There are projects involving the children, but also offering education for adults.  

The fight against poverty and discrimination were other important topics on the conference in 2011. It is essential that we can overcome these challenges in order to secure a better future for the Roma. The fight against discrimination is an ongoing process. Both the citizens and the authorities need to be involved.

Again let me refer to Norway. The Norwegian Roma and Travellers are recognised as national minorities in Norway. Norway has ratified the Council of Europe Framework Convention on National Minorities. The Roma and Traveller communities in Norway suffered forced assimilation by the authorities in recent past. The Norwegian authorities have acknowledged responsibility and apologised for this painful period for the Roma and the Travellers. After this there has been a long and challenging process of establishing a shared understanding of the past. This is necessary to achieve mutual trust which is the key to a good dialogue. And with a good dialogue we can make good policies together with the groups concerned.

This 4th conference proves that you the Roma women present here today, both will and can make a difference. To meet, exchange experiences, and create ideas and further initiatives is vital for the empowerment of Roma women as well as women in general. Women still need to fight for improving our position in society. We have to fight at all levels: private, in civil society and at a political level.  

The first women’s organisation in Norway was established in 1884, but a continuous improvement of the status of women has been going on and still goes on also in my country. In Norway the Equal Status Act (equality between the sexes) was passed in 1978. This was an important step for all women in Norway, but attitudes also need to be challenged. And this takes time. Change always demands hard work and patience. 

The declaration from the 3^rd conference in 2011 ends with these words:  “we will rely on governments, international organizations and other relevant stakeholder to commit and provide mechanisms for developing a European Roma women’s Strategy”. This strategy is also the aim of this conference as I understand. A strategy is necessary, but a big task to take on. It is time consuming and demands a strong political will to find solutions.  

To succeed you, the Roma women, will have to rely on the solidarity of the whole society both at local, national and on an international level. You have stated that the Roma is facing challenges in many areas in Europe. A broad and coherent approach is vital for improving the situation. Norway believes that the European countries have a joint responsibility to address the discrimination of Roma. But the problems have to be seen in a local and national context. This is also where the problems have to be solved in the end. We also believe that those who are affected know best how to tackle problems, and your advice and input will be essential. We may however be able to contribute to this work by offering some resources.

Norway is part of what is called The EEA Grants and Norway Grants. It is a contribution from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It is meant to reduce economic and social differences and to strengthening bilateral relations with 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe. To include the Roma is a priority throughout the grants, a socalled horizontal priority. In addition, targeted programmes are established in countries with sizeable Roma minorities. The EEA and Norway Grants promote including the Roma in several specific areas when it comes to:

• civil society,
• health and education,
• children and youth at risk,
• justice and home affairs
• and cultural diversity.

We work closely with organisations like the Council of Europe, Open Society Foundations and the EU. The work for Roma inclusion is outlined in detail in the policy document “Roma Inclusion in the EEA and Norway Grants – mainstreaming for results”. Women’s role in this work is crucial, and I would welcome any suggestions and comments to the strategy from you, in order to achieve the results we are aiming for.  

I will conclude by once again thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend this conference and learn more about the important work you are doing for the Roma women. 

I wish you all a fruitful and interesting conference. 

Thank you for your attention.