Following ongoing developments at EU-level around the EU National Roma Integration Strategies, and in response to the poor integration of the Roma community by the healthcare sector, WHO Europe has proposed Potential Criteria for the Review of the Health Component of the National Roma Integration Strategies to support the EC and the Member States in their goal of more comprehensive Roma integration.
The Criteria draw from previous work relevant to Roma health, in particular the EU Communication and Council Conclusions on Roma inclusion, as well as “Solidarity in Health: Reducing health inequalities in the EU”. These criteria also draw from recommendations made by the Council of Europe, the Open Society Foundation’s Roma Health Project and reports from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF and national entities.
They reflect policy guidance and evidence developed from various sources:
- Article 12 on the right to health of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
- Work of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health;
- Emerging findings from the Task Group on Disadvantage, Social Exclusion and Vulnerability of the WHO-commissioned European Review on Social Determinants and the Health Divide;
- The draft new European health policy (Health 2020); the Tallinn Charter on health systems strengthening;
- The work of the Spanish EU Presidency on monitoring health inequities; and follow-up at the WHO Regional Committee for Europe resolution EUR/RC52/R7 on Poverty and Health.
The Criteria for the Review of the Health Component of the National Roma Integration Strategies are divided into 5 core areas:
1. Coherence with relevant EU Communications and Council Conclusions
2. Health system strengthening
3. Social determinants of health
4. Goals, outcomes and governance mechanisms
5. Monitoring and evaluation.
As a response to interest expressed by DG SANCO, the document (see Annex 2) carries a bibliography on Roma health sources.
