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Representatives of the Roma and Sinti, also known as gypsies, urged the United Nations today to appoint a senior official to promote and protect their rights.
The groups make up Europe's largest minority, with 12 million members spread mainly across central and eastern Europe.
The representatives presented their case two days after the annual international day of commemoration of Holocaust victims on Saturday. An estimated 200,000 to 800,000 Roma people were killed in Nazi concentration camps during World War Two.
Sixty years later, some governments are waging an effective battle against discrimination. But Roma and Sinti remain widely excluded from social, educational and job opportunities in many parts of Europe, representatives from seven nations told a news conference at UN headquarters.
"We direct a joint appeal to the new secretary-general (Ban Ki-moon), who intends to make human rights a central plank of his policy, to stand up more strongly for the rights and social emancipation of the largest minority in Europe," said Romani Rose, chairman of the German Central Council for Sinti.
A UN Special Representative for Roma and Sinti Questions would "point out abuses and develop practical measures" to ensure their recognition as citizens with equal rights in their respective countries, Rose said.
Ban was travelling in Africa today and had no immediate response to the groups' appeal.
- REUTERS
