On February 6th Ambassador Simone Filippini visited the Municipality of Shuto Orizari and had a meeting with the Mayor, Mr. Erduan Iseni. The Ambassador was introduced to the general facts of this municipality, which has entered the second phase of the decentralisation process, as well as to the problems it is facing in the area of public infrastructure, communal affairs and education. The tax collection rate has started to increase as of last year, but  high unemployment rates and lack of education remain the main problems  in the first Roma community in Europe. 

The Mayor believes that prejudice is the source of most problems of the Roma people and that their social status has not improved even during the ongoing Roma Decade. He pointed out that the marginalised position of the Roma in Shuto Orizari and in Europe is mainly the result of discrimination, segregation and exclusion. These problems are often cross-cutting: deprived people do not attend school, illiteracy results in unemployment and lack of income causes bad living conditions, which keeps the Roma people trapped in the vicious circle of poverty and social exclusion. The Mayor attends regular meetings on important issues affecting citizens throughout his municipality meant to raise consciousness and promoting an assertive attitude of the citizens. Till now Roma are not vocal enough, their problems can still be ignored. This has to change.     

Mayor Iseni said that he strives for a systematic approach towards all problems and issues and that it is his intention to raise the media coverage on Roma issues.  In his view the problem for him as a Mayor at this moment was not so much a financial one, but much more related to lack of political will resulting in lack of systematic policies and specific budgetary provisions integrated in regular budgets. Therefore, he asked for general support from the Ambassador in the field of lobbying and advocating for Roma issues in front of the Government, the international community and the foreign investors. Ambassador Filippini saluted the trends of improvement in the primary school education and stressed the importance of working on secondary school enrolment. She promised the Mayor that she will attend the celebration of the International Roma Day – April 8th.

More info on the Municipality of Shuto Orizari:  http://www.sutoorizari.gov.mk/