As a follow-up to the conclusions of the evaluation conference of the Council of Europe project "Education of Roma children in Europe" (Brdo, Slovenia, May 2009) and of the 2009 OSCE/ODIHR Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, the Council of Europe Directorate of Education and Languages and the OSCE/ODIHR Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues have agreed to create a framework for their current and future co-operation by establishing an International Task Force for the Education of Roma.

The representatives of the various organisations present - including UNESCO, OSCE/ODIHR, Open Society Institute, Roma Education Fund, European Training Foundation or European Roma and Travellers Forum –, pointed out that international organisations have a key role to play in designing and implementing cross-national and European policies. It was therefore suggested that an International Task Force for the Education of Roma comprising international governmental and non-governmental organisations could be set up to co-operate with national authorities.

The main mission of the International Task Force is to help achieve the education goals for Roma in a more efficient way, as well as to save time and funds. Professional networks and co-ordination between authorities, institutions and NGOs will enable a more meaningful involvement of the key actors, especially governments. As a result, implementation of policies at all levels – local, regional, national and international – will be improved and specific problems will be detected more speedily. Furthermore, the International Task Force for the Education of Roma ensures that projects and investments at international level are not duplicated.

Members: co-operation letter