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8 | Annual report’07 FSG

heyear2007wasdesignatedbytheParliamentand

CounciloftheEuropeanUnionastheEuropean Year

of Equal Opportunities for Allforthepurposeofraising

awarenessasconcernsnon-discriminationandequal

opportunity.Thisisanimportantchallengewhichmust

beaddressedbyeachandeverycitizenrequiringspecial

attentiontothosegroupsorindividualsstillsufferingsomeformof

“citizenship deficit” which is frequently the case of minorities. This

isespeciallytrueoftheRomaminoritygiventhatdespiteimportant

progressmadeoverthelastfewdecades,thisisstillthegroupfacingthe

greatestsocialrejectioninSpainaccordingtothelatestCIS(Sociological

ResearchCentre)studies.

AttheFSGwehavecontinuedtoworktothebestofourabilityon

threemajoraspectswhichwefeelarecrucialindiminishingthese

disadvantages:improvethelivingstandardoftheRomacommunity’s

mostdisadvantagedmembers;promoterecognitionandsupportof

culture;andencouragefullcitizenship.Inthisarduousandcomplex

taskwemustacknowledge(andexpressourgratitudefor)the

consolidationofinstitutionalsupportandrecognitionoftheRoma

communitywhichwehopewillcontinuetogrowandintensifyat

European,national,regionalandlocallevelbecauseallofthesehave

specialrelevancetothelivesofcitizens.

InthisneweditionoftheFSG Annual Activities report(publishedin

Spanish and English and 13 specific editions, one for each Autonomous

Communitywherewework)wecontinuetoadheretotheprinciple

oftransparencywhichguidesouractionaswepublishthisreporton

theworkundertakenin2007.These12monthshavebeenespecially

significant for the Foundation in that they have borne witness to the two

majorphasesofourmostimportantinterventionintermsofresources:

theAccederemploymentprogramme.Itisourhopethatduringthis

newstageoftheOperationalProgrammetoCombatDiscrimination

2008-2013oftheEuropeanSocialFundjustrecentlygettingunder

wayweareabletocontinuetoconsolidatetheexcellentresults

achievedduringthepreviousyearandalsotolearnfromourmistakes,

implementimprovementsandmoveboldlyaheaddespitethethreat

Presentation

T

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ofrecessiononthehorizonwhichalwaystakesthegreatesttollonthe

weakest.

Employmentisthesubjectofthenewsocialawareness-raising

campaign which, with the slogan “Employment makes us equal”, we

begantodisseminateattheendof2007givenitsimportanceasakey

aspectinthesocialinclusionofthemostdisadvantagedindividualsand

groups.Thenewpublicpresentationsandcommunicationinitiatives

carriedoutwithinthisframeworkwillalsoserveasaplatformto

provideourco-funderswhohavesupportedusandthesocietyatlarge

(supportingusthroughtheirtaxcontributions)withthemainresultsof

theactionscarriedoutwithintheframeworkoftheAccederProgramme

duringthe2000-2006period.

Inlinewiththenewstagewehaveembarkedupon,in2007wealso

began to take the first steps in the development of a new Institutional

Strategic Plan allowingustostrengthenthefoundationofan

organisationwhichhasgrownappreciablyoverashortperiodof

time.Strivingtotakeanintegralapproachtoitsactions,theFSGhas

beendevelopingawidearrayofactivitiesrangingfromeducationto

healthandincludingculture,communication,quality,housingand

internationalactions,thislatteraspecttakingonparticularimportance

overthenextseveralyears.Forallofthesereasonsitisimportantto

stepbackandtakeacloselookattheactivitiescarriedoutwithaview

to complete the mission defined by the organisation as effectively as

possible.

Inclosing,IwouldliketoexpresstotheBoardofTrustees,theFSG’s

teamofworkersandtoalloftheorganisationsandindividualswhohave

beensupportingus,thehonourandsatisfactionIfeltuponreceiving

for the second time, from the hands of Her Majesty Queen Sofia, the

CivilianOrderoftheGoldenCrossforSocialSolidarity,anawardwhich

endorsestheworkthattheSecretariado Gitanohasbeingdoingfor

decades.

Pedro Puente Fernández / Chairman

Annual report’07 FSG | �

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