Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

international organisations on Roma issues. In the Council of Europe in October,
participants at the Ministerial Summit on Roma adopted a declaration reaffirming the
rights of Roma, setting out priorities for tackling Roma exclusion, and committing the
participants to greater cooperation between Council of Europe countries and
European organisations on Roma issues. The UK Ambassador to the Council of
Europe spoke in strong support of the declaration, as a clear commitment to
improving the situation of Roma people in Europe.
Antisemitism
The Government’s first progress update report on its work to take forward the
recommendations of the 2006 All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism was
laid before Parliament on 13 December. The report was produced by the
Department for Communities and Local Government with input from eight other
government departments, including the FCO. It highlights our continued work to
raise antisemitism issues in international fora, including the UN, Council of Europe
and OSCE, as well as our ongoing support for the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for
Combating Antisemitism.
As a member of the Cross-Government Working Group to Tackle Antisemitism
established to coordinate work in response to the inquiry, we work to implement the
inquiry’s recommendations as well as those from the 2009 London Conference on
Combating Antisemitism. This work includes our ongoing support for the All-Party
Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism to encourage parliamentarians in other
countries to instigate similar inquiries into antisemitism; our active role in the Task
Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and
Research; and our efforts to ensure that work against antisemitism is given due
attention in international organisations.
In November, Canada hosted the second conference of the Inter-parliamentary
Coalition for Combating Antisemitism, as a follow up to the first conference held in
London in February 2009. Some 200 parliamentary delegates from more than 50
countries attended. The UK parliamentary delegation was led by Mr John Mann,
MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism, supported by
Lord Janner of Braunstone QC and Mr Andrew Rosindell, MP. The United Kingdom
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