The president of the Parliament of Galicia, Miguel Ángel Santalices, read this Tuesday, during the plenary session, an institutional declaration for the International Day of the Roma People, celebrated on April 8, in which the Chamber reiterates its support for the "full equality" of the Roma people.
"It is time to reiterate our commitment as an institution, as a society, as a country, to the full equality of Roma men and women. Equality from the recognition of diversity and of the value and richness that the Roma people contribute, which is part of our shared history and culture," he praised.
The head of the regional legislature has highlighted the relevance of renewing this commitment after a year of events and recognitions, within the framework of 2025, declared Year of the Romani People on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the arrival of this community to the Iberian Peninsula.
Just as the institutional declaration states, this anniversary "has served to better understand the Roma people and to remember their historical, social, and cultural contribution to the construction of the collective identity" of the country, while at the same time inviting not to ignore "a past of rejection and discrimination that marked the history of the Roma people".
Having overcome this anniversary, the Galician Parliament emphasizes that public administrations must "reiterate the commitment to address the major challenges affecting the Roma people, the historical inequalities that limit the progress, promotion, and equality of Roma people".
"Poverty, school failure, employment inequality, school segregation, or residential segregation are combated with political will, with public policies, and with adequate investments. We must go beyond institutional declarations and commit to guaranteeing rights," the text claims.
Likewise, the declaration of the Galician Parliament emphasizes that, despite "600 years of shared history", the Roma people "continues to be largely unknown to society as a whole". A lack of knowledge that, it adds, is "what prejudice, rejection, and discrimination are based on".
Lastly, the document warns that living "in a context of difficulties and uncertainty" cannot imply "a step backward in the progress made in guaranteeing the rights and opportunities for the Roma people".
"This commemoration must also translate into concrete measures to reduce inequality, fight discrimination and anti-Gypsyism, and advance in rights, citizenship, and recognition of the Roma People," concludes the declaration approved by Parliament.