What do the Roma think?
About education, employment, income, poverty, hunger? What do they seek in an enlarged EU?
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is releasing the first cross-border comprehensive survey of Europe’s largest ethnic minority: the Roma.
As an attachment to this e-mail, you will find an exclusive package of information on the Report, for your personal perusal. Kindly note however that any data about the Report is under STRICT EMBARGO till JANUARY 16 AT 17:00 (5 PM) GMT.
“Avoiding the Dependency Trap—A Human Development Report on the Roma Minority in Central and Eastern Europe” shows that:
§ Starvation is more wide-spread than originally envisioned, living conditions are those of Sub-Saharan Africa, not Europe. One out of every six Roma is “constantly starving”.
§ One out of every three Roma last had a formal job in 1990;
§ Yet unemployment is lower than commonly reported—a far cry from the 80% or more quoted in the media.
§ Why such paradox? Because the Roma, especially the youth, lack the skills and education needed to make a living-wage. Almost half of those employed (44%) work in the informal sector. Up to 70% of households in some countries need state transfers to make ends meet;
§ What about Western aid? The Report shows that it has been insufficient to make an impact—not because of its volume but because of the way the money is spent. The survey shows that 91% of the Roma cannot name an NGO they can trust and 79% are not aware of any programmes targeted at them.
The UNDP Report parts with conventional wisdom. A question that has so far been mainly cast in terms of Human Rights is now gaining a new, “developmental” dimension. The policy implications are immense. The Report gets the debate started.
The Report will be launched globally in Brussels, under Embargo, on Thursday January 16th at 9:30 AM, at the United Nations, Multimedia Center,14 Rue Montoyer,Bruxelles tel: +(32-2)-505.46.20, contact: Diana Moli. Other contacts: London: Christelle Chapoy, (), tel: +(44-207) 630.27.03; Geneva: Jean Fabre, Laura Ngo-Fontaine, (), (), tel: +(41-79) 437.07.76.; Paris: Abdoul Dieng, (), tel: +(33-1) 56.40.50.15.; Bratislava, Sandra Pralong, ()
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UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.