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On the round table with the topic “Raising Awareness on the minority rights and their observance”
02.07.2004
Albanian Helsinki Committee, in cooperation with Soros Foundation hosted a round table in Gjirokastra on the date June 30, 2004 that aimed at raising awareness of the state structures for a better observance of minority rights in this district.
In this table, besides the representatives from the local authorities, there participated the Chairwoman of the State Committee on Minorities, Mrs. Kostandina Bezhani. There were present representatives of OSCE office for the district of Gjirokastra, some of the civil organizations
in this area as well as media, minority and local representatives.
AHC was represented by Mr. Dhimitër Xhuvani, a Board member and also Ms. Edlira Papavangjeli, the programs’ coordinator as well as by specialists invited Mr. Gjergj Sinani and Mr. Rajmond Kola.
AHC introduced the situation of the minority rights in this area viewed from its own perspective.
AHC considers that the state authorities have made efforts to improve the situation of the observance of minority rights, but a lot needs to be done.
Alongside the recommendations made by AHC, the minority representatives raised a series of concerns such as:
They claimed to conduct the census, where minority people would have the possibility to be identified as such. The official statistical data would serve to define comprehensible policies and strategies on the part of the Albanian state related to the best observance of the minority rights. This would avoid
the controversial data.
The table recommended the improvement of the legal framework in the administrative field as well as the drafting of a special law against discrimination.
AHC and different minority representatives highlighted that the state should pay more attention to the Roma, Vlach minorities and the Egyptian community.
As regards the education issue, representatives of the Greek minority appealed to the relevant state authorities to take measures to give access to education in the mother tongue at the secondary school level.
AHC recognizes that the situation is more problematic for the Roma and Egyptian community and seeks from the state bodies to take the necessary action to provide access to education to the Roma and Egyptian children.
Representatives of the Greek minority voiced their concern for the linguistic inaccuracy in the road signs and also for the fact that these signs were damaged or wiped down after their installation.
Representatives in the table highlighted the need to increase access to a wider participation in the public administration structures at the local level, especially for the representatives of the Roma minority and the Egyptian community.
Furthermore the minority representatives asked that the Albanian state increase the budget for the minorities.
The Chairwoman of the State Committee for Minorities Ms. Bezhani as well as the representatives of the local state authorities pledged themselves to devoting more attention to the problems raised in the round table and taking measures for the improvement of the situation of the minority rights.
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