Commemorating the Plight of the Roma

On April 8, International Roma Day was celebrated around the globe. This day was officially declared by the International Romani Union to honor Romani culture and to raise awareness of the issues facing the Roma people, the most marginalized minority in Europe.

For decades, the international network Open Society Foundations has supported Europe’s Roma communities in their struggle for equal opportunities, recognition and democratic participation in their respective regions.

The video below was posted by Open Society Foundations to commemorate International Roma Day and to discuss the focus and impact of its Roma Initiatives.

"The Roma initiative is central to our mission of trying to promote just societies that have meaningful representation, that can critique their governments without fear of reprisal and can have the expectation of reciprocity from institutions that are important in the societies that they live in," shares Patrick Gaspard, President of Open Society Foundations.

You can find the original video on Open Society Foundation's YouTube channel here.