January 27, 2026 First commemorative speech by a Ukrainian Roma survivor before the United Nations
Nataliia Tomenko speaks at UN Holocaust memorial event about intergenerational persecution, remembrance, and responsibility
On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an official memorial event was held on January 27, 2026, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. For the first time in the history of this ceremony, the focus was on the life experience of Halyna Tomenko, a Roma survivor from Ukraine, who addressed those present in a video message. Her granddaughter, former RCA scholarship holder Nataliia Tomenko, appeared in person in New York and emphasized her role as a descendant of the victims of the genocide of the Sinti and Roma in Europe.
Under the motto “Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights,” the event was aimed at the international community and commemorated the millions of victims of Nazi persecution. For the first time, the ceremony featured intergenerational testimony. During World War II, the Nazi regime and its allies murdered several hundred thousand Sinti and Roma in occupied Europe. In Ukraine the extermination was carried out mainly through mass shootings by the Einsatzgruppen. This history remained largely unknown and undocumented for decades. In the context of the 85th anniversary of the Babyn Yar massacre in 2026, the speeches by Halyna and Nataliia Tomenko mark an important milestone for the visibility and recognition of the Nazi genocide of the Sinti and Roma in Europe.
In 2023, Nataliia Tomenko conducted research on the cultural heritage of the Roma in Ukraine as the recipient of the Romani Rose Fellowship, funded by the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation, at the Research Centre on Antigypsyism. Her research focus is highly topical, not only in view of the widespread discrimination against the Roma throughout Europe, but also in light of the war against Ukraine, which threatens the cultural heritage of this minority. In addition to her research activities, Nataliia Tomenko is also active as an artist and has been politically involved in promoting the rights of the Roma in Europe for many years.
