World Romani Congress

Among the chief goals of these congresses have been the standardization of the Romani language, improvements in civil rights and education, preservation of the Roma culture, reparations from World War II, and international recognition of the Roma as a national minority of Indian native origin.

It was attended by 23 representatives from ten nations (Czechoslovakia, Finland, Norway, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Spain and Yugoslavia) and observers from Belgium, Canada, India and the United States.

[1] Five sub-commissions were created to examine social affairs, education, war crimes, language, and culture.

At the congress, the green and blue flag from the 1933 conference of the General Association of the Gypsies of Romania,[2] embellished with the red, sixteen-spoked chakra, was reaffirmed as the national emblem of the Roma people, and the song "Gelem, Gelem" was adopted as the Roma anthem.

[3] The International Day of the Roma was also officially declared as April 8, in honour of the first World Romani Congress meeting in 1971.

21 countries out of the 25 in attendance formed a Federation to tackle the issues afflicting the Romani people.