Romanian Diversity Chamber of Commerce hosts forum on Roma employment and entrepreneurship

Bucharest, 15 April, 2021

The Diversity Chamber of Commerce hosted its first webinar this week on Roma employment and entrepreneurship, with participation of the Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (REDI), the World Bank, UNICEF, Unilever, ING Bank, Dentons and Goodyear. UK Ambassador Andrew Noble delivered the keynote address. The discussion focused on the key role that education and training play in the advancement of Roma workers, and also touched on how REDI is supporting Roma craftspeople to overcome the Covid-mandated closures of markets by marketing their products via the internet using Revolut for payments.

This was the fourth webinar sponsored by the Chamber, following its highly successful events around its three other pillars: women, LGBT+ and persons with disabilities.

How to increase Roma employment and entrepreneurship

“With the world’s largest Roma population, Romania can lead the way toward inclusion. This segment of the population – estimated to be as much as 12% — can be instrumental in rebuilding the economy over the coming years. Forward-thinking businesses can benefit greatly from looking at this untapped talent pool,” said Perry Zizzi, President of the Romanian Diversity Chamber of Commerce.

“This year we celebrated the 165th anniversary of the abolition of Roma slavery in Romania. The way we still treat many Roma is a litmus test of who we are as a society and what will be our legacy in the future. The World Bank estimates the cost of Roma exclusion in the range of EUR 2 billion a year. It is within our means to make Roma inclusion not only the right thing from a human rights perspective but also profitable for Romanian society. Romanian companies need to take the lead, open their doors and invest in a young and vibrant human resource,” said Petrica Dulgheru, Executive Director of REDI.

About the Romanian Diversity Chamber of Commerce

The Romanian Diversity Chamber of Commerce, the first of its kind in the world, was established in Romania at the end of 2020, with the main goal of promoting the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion in the country’s business community. Founding members of the Chamber are Accenture, Dentons, ING Bank, Kaufland, Mega Image, Raiffeisen Bank and the NGO “Orasul Meu, Culorile Mele”. Other members include Accept, DIAGEO, Dow Chemicals, GKN Fokker Engineering, Netherlands-Romanian Chamber of Commerce, Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (REDI) and Visa, with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) as an honorary member.