On 2 August 1944, three thousand Roma people were murdered in the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. What happened on that day only became fully known to history several decades later. 2 August was declared International Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day by the World Romani Congress in 1972. On this day, we remember the tens of thousands of Sinti and Roma people who were murdered throughout Europe during the Second World War.

At this year's memorial service, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Human Resources András Doncsev gave an opening speech at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Budapest.

In relation to the series of Roma murders committed during 2008-2009, the last of which, in Kisléta, also occurred almost exactly four years ago on 3 August, Mr. Doncsev declared that "the most important thing is that we must stand by the victims, all victims, from the very first minute. This isn't a question of minority and majority, but a question of human dignity."

An excellent example of this is the fact that the Government helped the families of the victims of the serial killings, and working together with several churches, charities and both local and international non-governmental agencies, the houses and homes of the victims' families were fully renovated.

Of the organisations which helped with renovation activities, the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma and its President, Romani Rose, was involved in developing the main elements and objectives of the Roma Strategy introduced during the Hungarian presidency of the European Union, in addition to which an agreement was concluded on the organisation of joint German-Hungarian Roma programmes.

The Government of Hungary recognised the merits of those who offered a helping hand in a suitable manner: Romani Rose was presented with the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary last year by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

This evening there will be a remembrance service at the Roma Holocaust Memorial in Budapest's 9th district, in front of the National Roma Self Government in Dohány Street and in the heart of Jesus Church in Pest, at which Minister for Human Resources Zoltán Balog will also be present.

The National Roma Self Government will be holding a memorial service on 6 August in Saint Stephen's Basilica in Budapest, where Cardinal Péter Erdő will celebrate ecumenical mass.

(Ministry of Human Resources)