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ROMANIA FOR EUROPEAN CHILDREN

Statement at launch of Children’s High Level Group in Romania

Bucharest, 13th January 2006

Press release

This mornings press conference was called by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne MEP,  Mr Ion Tiriac and Mrs Theodora Bertzi, representing Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu) in order to announce the following initiatives:

  • ROMANIA FOR EUROPEAN CHILDREN fundraising dinner, with guest of honour J.K. Rowling, to take place at 1900 at Parliament House on the 25th of January. 
  • ROMANIA FOR EUROPEAN CHILDREN TV fundraising appeal (telethon) to be transmitted live, on TVR1, from 2000 on the 26th of January 2006.

The purpose of these events is to raise funds to support children in need, focusing in particular on child health and development in Romania and across Europe.  Both events will support the dissemination of the Romanian child welfare and protection model to other countries in the region — through the newly established charitable foundation The Children’s High Level Group (of which J.K. Rowling is a trustee).

Baroness Nicholson said “Romania is one of the few European countries which has managed to reform its child welfare system.  I am proud to say that Romania has managed to put in place a system which provides family placement alternatives to institutionalization.  This is a huge achievement and is something that other European countries which have not yet managed to reform their systems can learn from. ”

Mrs Theodora Bertzi, Secretary of State at the Romanian Adoption Office and representative of the Prime Minister at this press conference said, “the reform of the child protection system started in 1997 but the results can only really be seen now.  We were not alone in our efforts and that is why we feel the need to be near those who are at the beginning of the reform process.”

Ion Tiriac, the organizer of the two events mentioned above, said “the fight for the wellbeing of children in Romania, and elsewhere in Europe, is going to continue forever.  We are never going to stop.”