Letter of the Association of World Citizens 29. 1. 2009
Dear Colleague, As the Representative to the UN, Geneva, of the Association of World Citizens, I read your text on the non-mention of the Roma on the 27th January memorial where only Jews are mentioned as Nazi victims
Without wanting to "blame the victimes" but with 37 years of experience as an NGO representative, I would say that nothing concerning the Rom will be done unless there are permanent Rom NGO representatives present at New York, Geneva, and Vienna to remind people that Rom exist and have a history. There are Jewish NGO representatives in all three cities, often lawyers, well informed and who have active contacts with the UN Secretariat as well as with the Israeli Mission to the UN. They make sure that Jewish history during World War II is well known and pushed to have the 27th set aside. The Israeli Mission has always provided musicians of high quality to play at the 27th event in Geneva. The commemoration is nearly always a concert rather than speeches. The musicians are nearly always on tours in Europe and so not have to come from Israel especially for the day. Most of the people who attend are from the Jewish community in Geneva, rather than diplomats . They are encouraged to attend by Jewish associations and the houses of worship. In contrast, I have attended much of the human rights meetings in Geneva since the human rights secretariat moved from New York to Geneva in 1976 or 77. In all those years I recally meeting only once a Rom representative, who was blind and accompanied by a young women who helped him get around. He was sitting next to me so we got into a conversation. I only saw him at one session. That is not to say that there have not been other representatives on other occations, but I never heard another presentation or met an other representative. As I am also the editor of a journal of world politics, I pick up a lot of the documentation. The UN is flooded with material on Kashmir, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East. I do not recall having picked up a brochure on the Rom, although I get material from the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, but no one puts it out at the UN. Thus, if there is any "outrage" it cannot be addressed to the UN but to the Rom organizations which are absent from UN activities. "Out of sight, out of mind". Until that changes, only Jewish victims will be mentioned on the 27th. With best wishes, Rene Wadlow, Representative to the UN, Geneva, Association of World Citizens
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