Regional campaign “Most Roma Friendly Mayor”

Launch of the Regional Campaign “Most Roma Friendly Mayor” in the Western Balkans and Turkey

We are launching the 2022 call for the regional campaign for the most “Roma Friendly Mayor” in the framework of the project “Romani Women Power of Change in the Western Balkans and Turkey”, implemented jointly by Roma Active Albania and ERGO Network. The campaign aims to increase awareness of and change attitudes towards Roma inclusion and contribute to overcoming the many barriers on the way.

 

 

An important part of this campaign is the “Most Roma Friendly Mayor” competition, which is simultaneously implemented in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The award-winning mayors from Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, The Republic of North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey will participate in a special event in the frame of the Roma Week from 16th until 19th of May 2022, in Brussels to meet a high representative from the EU Commission’s Directorate General for Neighborhood and Enlargement (DG NEAR).

The campaign will strengthen the dialogue between municipalities and Roma communities and make best practice examples visible. The selection of the “Most Roma Friendly Mayor” can help communities to make their vision a reality on how municipalities and the Roma community can come together and engage in a dialogue on an equal level.

The campaign will focus on positive examples of Roma integration. Moreover, the selection criteria will emphasize the project philosophy of empowerment, mobilization and equal dialogue between local authorities and Roma communities.

The competition will be open from March 1st until April 15th 2022. An independent jury will be established in each country, and select the winner of the contest based on the given questionnaire.

The partners of the project “Romani Women Power of Change in the Western Balkans and Turkey” will carry out local information sessions to further brief the interested municipalities on the campaign and competition.

Application documents:

  • The completed application form (please download it here)
  • Articles, news, reports, protocols or any document that support your responses in the application form
  • Feedback /assessment from the Roma community regarding the municipality
  • Pictures

The application form can be mailed to: info@raa.al or to any of the implementing partners until April 15th 2022, local time 23:59.

For general inquiries, you can also contact info@ergonetwork.org or check the Facebook page of the event.

Partners:

This activity is implemented in the framework of the project “Romani Women Power of Change in the Western Balkans and Turkey”, financed by the European Union.

Fighting antigypsyism as a precondition to achieve equality for Roma

Regional Conference: Fighting antigypsyism as a precondition to achieve equality for Roma

On 22 June, ERGO Network together with the Central Council for German Sinti and Roma, the Roma Active Albania and Equinet co-organised the Regional Conference: Fighting Antigypsyism as a Precondition to Achieve Equality for Roma – The Role of Ombudsperson Institutions and Equality Bodies. The Conference brought together equality bodies, national human rights institutions and civil society organisations from Western Balkan countries, European Commission Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Germany. Participants discussed on the role of equality bodies and ombudsperson institutions in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national Roma strategic frameworks to tackle antigypsyism based on the principles of non-discrimination and equality set out in the EU Treaties, reaffirmed in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Racial Equality Directive 2000/43/EC and the Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law.

Some of the conclusions highlighted inter alia that equality bodies and ombudsperson institutions:

  • have a mandate to deal with discrimination using civil and administrative law and most of them have a mandate to deal with hate speech using their general mandate for promotion of equality and fighting discrimination or broadly interpreting their mandate to tackle harassment.
  • should also have a mandate to start own-initiative cases and use strategic litigation as an effective means to reach an impact that goes beyond the individual case.
  • even in the absence of an explicit legal mandate to cover certain issues related to antigypsyism (such as hate crimes, for instance), can gather information, commission or conduct studies to reveal the extent and manifestations of antigypsyism
  • can contribute with independent reports in the implementation of national Roma strategic frameworks.
  • should raise awareness about antigypsyism and widely communicate positive, values-based messages; use their powers to advise governments and other policymakers so that policies and legislation contributes to challenging antigypsyism; use their powers to work with duty bearers, such as employers and service providers, to spread good equality practices
  • should ensure close and structured cooperation with civil society. Equality bodies should enter into a constructive dialogue with pro-Roma civil society that should include mutual education where each party shares their unique knowledge and expertise
  • work closely with Roma and involve them in their activities – as trainers and trainees, as valued partners and as employees of the equality body and ombudsperson institution.

The conference also emphasized the need for equality bodies and ombudsperson institutions to be provided with the necessary human and financial resources, powers and independence to conduct their work effectively. Participants saw this regional conference between equality bodies, the EU and civil society as an important step in building a closer and structured cooperation in fighting structural antigypsyism.

For more information about ERGO Network’s work on anti racism contact Isabela Mihalache , Senior Policy Adviser in the ERGO Network Brussels team.

 

EU Award for Roma Integration in the Western Balkans and Turkey, 2021

EU Award for Roma Integration in the Western Balkans and Turkey, 2021

It is with great pleasure to announce the launch of the EU Award for Roma Integration in the Western Balkans and Turkey, 2021” dedicated to the extraordinary people that promote Roma equality through employment.

The EU Roma Integration Award 2021 will promote private or public initiatives sensitive to the problem of lack of employment in the Roma communities, offer recognition, publicity and support to the positive models yielding concrete, tangible results.

The award is open to public and private institutions, companies and businesses, employers, (including but not limited to SME, social businesses, entrepreneurship initiatives and other employment initiatives); teachers, health care actors and Civil Society (organisations and individuals) – Roma and non-Roma – established and residing in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey.

The competition is open to both self-nominations (applications directly from the initiative seeking to receive the award), and nominations from other stakeholders wanting to draw attention to a relevant initiative

Submission

Submission of self-nominations shall be via e-mail in the address: Application_EU_Award_2021@raa.al

    • The title of the email must contain the initials of the applicant and the country of origin.

Submission of nominations shall be via email in the address: Nomination_EU_Award_2021@raa.al

    • The title of the email must contain the acronym of the nominator, initials of the nominee and the country of origin

Applications and nominations, along with the supporting documents, can also be sent by post at the address:

Roma Active Albania Rr. “YlbereBylykbashi”; P. 25; Shk. 2; Ap. 4; Tirana, Albania

In this case, only the applications/nominations received by us within the deadline will be considered. Applications reaching by post later than the set deadline shall not be considered for evaluation.

The deadline for application is 30th of April 2021, 23:59 local time

The award is hosted by the European Commission, funded by IPA Funds and implemented by Roma Active Albania

For more information please refer to the link:

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/news_corner/news/call-applications-now-open-2021-eu-award-roma-integration-western-balkans-and_en

For follow and update please consult with:

https://www.facebook.com/EuAwardforRomaIntegration/

Intercultural Achievement Award for Roma Active Albania

Intercultural Achievement Award for Roma Active Albania

ERGO Member Roma Active Albania won the recognition award in the Intercultural Achievement Award (IAA) 2020 organised by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs with  the project “EU Award on Roma Integration 2019 – Unknown Heroes”. The project was organised  in partnership with the European Commission, DG NEAR and supported by the European Union. Participation in different conferences and seminars, as well the work of the partners in the Western Balkans and Turkey have positioned Roma women as a key factor in scoring tangible results in the Roma integration agenda. The award have brought additional recognition to the wider area of women empowerment.

The project honors women who brought tangible impact for Roma integration and empowerment in the Western Balkans and Turkey and provided political leverage enriching the policy dialogue of Roma integration with the cross-cutting issue of women empowerment.

The project got recognition in a competition of 300 entries from 41 countries under the category “Recent events” and a certificate for the recognition was delivered to Roma Active Albania in the Austrian Embassy in Tirana.

Through this award steps such as by setting up and running non-profit organisations and community centres, combatting violence against women, fighting early marriages, facilitating women to access to their legal rights, etc. received the deserved recognition as a way of improving the integration of Roma minority by acting locally.

Roma equality as part of the EU accession process

Civil society letter addressing Roma equality as part of the
EU accession process and the EU response to the Covid-19 pandemic to Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement

On behalf of a European coalition of Roma and pro-Roma organizations, we call upon you and the European Commission to prioritise the fundamental rights and equality of Roma and the protection of the most vulnerable when redefining the EU priorities and investment regarding the Enlargement and Neighbourhood policy in the context of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically exposed the structural exclusion, inequality and vulnerability of Roma communities.

The EU-Western Balkans Zagreb Summit on May 6, 2020 represents an important occasion to reaffirm the commitment with a strong political signal of the European Commission that Roma equality and inclusion constitutes an integral and unegotiationable part of the EU accession process. We urge the European Commission and all leaders of EU Member States and Enlargement and Neighbourhood countries to address the following three priorities in order to ensure the equal treatment, safety, well-being and equality of Roma communities – taking into account also their diversity – and thereby contribute to ameliorating the pandemic situation for all Europeans:

1. An immediate European humanitarian response should coordinate and allocate sufficient resources to all vulnerable groups, in particular marginalized Roma communities and all racialized minorities, making sure they are reached in the enlargement and neighbourhood countries.

2. The mid- and long-term EU Covid-19 response in the Western Balkans, Turkey and Neighbourhood countries should fully take into account the needs of vulnerable Roma communities, and define them as a priority group in all mainstream policies and measures, including in economic aid and recovery, housing and infrastructure, social protection, health care, education and employment.

3. A post-2020 “EU Strategic Framework for Roma Equality and Inclusion” – to be finalized and launched during the German EU Presidency – must constitute a top priority in the Covid-19 response. This EU Strategic Framework should fully involve the Enlargement and Neighbourhood countries, and it should be established on an anti-racism approach, by recognising the impact of antigypsyism as a decisive barrier for Roma inclusion. The fight against antigypsyism shall complement and not replace the inclusion approach.

Mr. Commissioner Várhelyi, your leadership is important to address the increased inequalities and the widening gap between Roma and non-Roma in the Enlargement and Neighbourhood countries, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are currently witnessing a growing humanitarian crisis that affects Roma and other vulnerable minority communities. We recognize the current efforts of municipalities, national governments and international stakeholders to provide humanitarian assistance, and underline especially the important role and contribution of the Romani civil society in these countries; but much more remains to be done.
As such, the short-term humanitarian assistance will not be enough to overcome the deep structural problems. The Covid-19 pandemic especially exposed the structural manifestations of antigypsyism regarding the basic living conditions: the residential segregation, forced evictions, lack of access to clean water and sanitation, and the denial of basic services. The strong dependency of many Roma on insecure, precarious work, and the lack of access to the qualified labour market contributed profoundly to the current humanitarian crisis.

Therefore, we underline the urgency for an increased investment and political commitment to Roma equality, economic and social justice, and combating antigypsyism. Only with long-term investments in infrastructure, improved living conditions and smart and flexible economic solutions in employment and entrepreneurship, quality education, a clean environment, and fighting poverty and antigypsyism starting now and throughout mid-term measures we can viably contribute to solving the most stringent problems of the Roma communities.

The European Union has to ensure that both short-term as well as long-term measures include and specifically address the situation and position of Roma in the Enlargement and Neighbourhood countries and bring positive benefits to them.

Joint statement on behalf of
Roma Active Albania, Otaharin (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians (Kosovo), Advancing Together (Kosovo), Phiren Amenca (Montenegro), RROMA (North Macedonia), Romalitico (North Macedonia), Romaversitas (North Macedonia), Forum Roma Serbia (Serbia), Association of Coordinators for Roma Issues (Serbia), Zero Discrimination Association (Turkey), Central Council of German Sinti and Roma (Germany), ERGO Network (Belgium).

Download the letter as pdf.

Further information and specific recommendations:
Joint CSO statement of March 31, 2020: Alarming situation of Roma communities in the Western Balkans and Turkey through the COVID-19 pandemic
ERGO Network policy recommendations of April 30, 2020: The effects of Covid-19 on Roma communities in EU Member States and Enlargement and Neighbourhood Countries
Post-2020 Roma Policy Coalition statement of March 16, 2020: Towards a EU post-2020 Roma equality and inclusion policy; Civil Society response on the Roadmap of the European Commission

 

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Power of Change – ERGO Network

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