Remarks by Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis at the Celebration of International Roma Day

Mai Mano Museum, Budapest, April 8, 2011

- as delivered -

I’m honored to be here today at the Mai Mano Haz and to address you and this great group and  to celebrate International Roma Day as well as to raise awareness of the rights of the Roma.

I also have the distinct pleasure of standing here with two distinguished Roma women, Erika Lakatos, whose amazing photographs are exhibited here, and Agnes Osztolykan, a member of the Hungarian parliament who received the International Women of Courage award from Secretary Clinton in Washington, D.C. last month.  They will share their stories with you in a few minutes.

Like all other Hungarian citizens, Roma should have the opportunity to live free from discrimination, to enjoy equal access to education, healthcare and employment.  Role models like these outstanding women inspire others to strive and realize their potential. 

International Roma Day is an opportunity to call attention to the myriad challenges that 10 million Roma across Europe face every day.  President Obama and Secretary Clinton have repeatedly stated that the US Government and they personally are committed to protecting and promoting the human rights of Roma everywhere.

Our government has been working with our partners across Europe to address these issues.  Our Embassy is also continually looking for ways we can support the governmental and non-governmental actors working to address these issues in Hungary.  Tolerance programs are a priority for us.  In December 2010 we collaborated with the office of State Secretary Zoltan Balog, the Norwegian Embassy in Budapest and the Open Society Institute to organize a day-long symposium on Roma inclusion.

In the past we have trained prosecutors, judges and police on working in a multi-cultural environment. We also run yearly summer camps aimed at instituting an atmosphere of tolerance among Hungary's youth. We will continue to initiate and support similar activities.

Much progress has been made but there is still much more to be done.  We applaud the Hungarian Government in identifying the Roma issue as one of its priorities during this presidency of the European Union, as well as their recent statements that the government will not tolerate the intimidation of minority or ethnic groups within Hungary.

At yesterday’s opening of the Fifth European Union Roma Platform, EU Commission Vice President Vivian Reding praised the Hungarian government for its proactive efforts to solve the Roma problem and for making it one of the top priorities of its  presidency.  Prime Minister Orban said the EU Roma Framework Strategy, which the Platform is discussing today, is an opportunity to break out of the vicious cycle of poverty and social exclusion.

Today is the day to celebrate the numerous contributions that Roma have made to the history and especially to the culture of Europe.

Roma influence in music, literature and dance, among others, have greatly enriched European culture.  Both Agnes and Erika demonstrate that Roma can and do contribute in ways that defy stereotypes.  It is, therefore, in the interests of Europe and the entire global community to create conditions that maximize the success of the Roma, as well as other minorities, to enable them to contribute even more significantly to the societies in which they belong.

Secretary Clinton said that she hopes International Roma Day activities will "be one more step on the path to helping Roma reach a better and brighter future."  I could not agree with her more. 

Thank you very much.