Roma inclusion newsletter Published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe in cooperation with the European Commission - Directorate-General for Health and Consumers.
In focus
ROMACT Handbook (revised and improved version)
Co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe, and published by the ROMACT Programme, this manual for mayors, local administrations and active citizens focuses on the inclusion of marginalized Roma individuals and other vulnerable people.
Regional conference on the impact of COVID-19 on Roma in the Western Balkans
13 December 2021, Belgrade, Serbia
The regional conference, organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)’s Roma Integration Project, gathered about 70 representatives to discuss the findings of the analysis on the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on Roma people in the Western Balkans.
Online round table “Funding of bottom-up approaches: ways forward to support Roma inclusion”
9 December 2021, online
This roundtable event reflected on the challenges identified for Roma inclusion and provided input on how to improve existing funding programmes. The dialogue served to launch the European Roma Grassroots Organization (ERGO) Network’s new analysis of funding for bottom-up approaches to Roma inclusion.
Webinar report “Roma child poverty and social exclusion”
30 November 2021, online
The webinar analysed Roma child poverty and social exclusion, launching a new policy paper on this topic, and brought together a panel of national and European speakers with experience on the ground of providing social services to Roma children living in poverty.
Politics of Roma inclusion/exclusion workshop
25 November 2021, online
The event was organized for the Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance of Loughborough University, United Kingdom. It included a research panel on politics of Roma inclusion/exclusion, and a round table on Roma diplomacy and voice in international politics.
ERGO Network annual policy conference
23 November 2021, online
This event served to launch the ERGO Network’s research report on Roma access to adequate minimum income, based on five national case studies carried out in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.
ROMACTED Phase 2 launch conference
18 November 2021, Podgorica, Montenegro
The event launched the second phase of the joint Council of Europe/EU ROMACTED Programme “Promoting good governance and Roma empowerment at local level”. The participants discussed the challenges the Roma population is facing, such as poverty, inadequate housing, unemployment, lack of documents, and ways to respond to them.
Workshop “Mediation and mentoring for Roma communities and local authorities”
16–19 November 2021, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
This workshop was carried out under the European Cooperation for Roma Inclusion (ECRI) project, funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. The training was attended by representatives of the French local authorities that work with migrant Roma communities from southeast European countries, as well as representatives of local nongovernmental organizations from Bulgaria.
Investing in Roma youth to advance fairer and healthier European societies
12 October 2021, online
This workshop was part of the Fundamental Rights Forum 2021. It highlighted the role of Roma youth in building fairer and healthier post-COVID societies by providing space for dialogue and mutual learning as well as sharing good practices and successful initiatives to address long-standing inequalities.
“Do Roma youth have a role in the implementation of national Roma strategies up to 2030?”
28 September 2021, online
This online event, representing part of the official agenda of the EU Roma Week 2021, analysed the stage of preparation of national Roma inclusion strategies, as well as whether Roma youth are being included in the texts of those strategies.
Projects and reports
ROMACT report “Children left behind: between labour migration, institutional standards, and extended family"
In the period November 2020 to January 2021, ROMACT Programme experts conducted a study aiming to outline the problems of children left behind in Bulgaria. The report contains a number of specific recommendations to various stakeholders, including parents, guardians and relevant institutions, intending to minimize the negative consequences for these children.
The socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on Roma in the Western Balkans
The purpose of this analysis was to contribute to a better understanding of the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on Roma individuals in the areas of education, employment, health, housing, and non-discrimination. The analysis evaluates the current situation of Roma people and provides data for defining appropriate, tailor-made measures that can be incorporated in the planning process of the new Roma integration strategies and other relevant mainstream socioeconomic strategies.
1For the purposes of this publication, all references, including in the bibliography, to “Kosovo” should be understood/read as “Kosovo (in accordance with Security Council resolution 1244 (1999)).”
