Roma inclusion newsletter Published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe in cooperation with the European Commission - Directorate-General for Health and Consumers and the Interuniversity Institute of Social Development and Peace at the University of Alicante, Spain (WHO Collaborating Centre on Social Inclusion and Health)
In focus
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council
This midterm review of the European Union (EU) framework for national Roma integration strategies (NRISs) takes stock of the progress since the launch of the EU framework for NRISs in 2011. It is based on data on how the situation of Roma people has changed, along with input from national authorities, civil society and other partners.
Regional Cooperation Council Roma Integration 2020 (RCC RI2020) Regional Conference “Filling in the budget gaps in Roma integration policies”
10 November 2017, Tirana, Albania
The main objective of the conference is to create a platform for participating economies and donors to discuss ongoing activities, achievements, needs and priorities for Roma integration in the areas of education, employment, health, housing, and civil registration; and to identify and match adequate funding opportunities either on a bilateral or regional basis, for measures, programmes and activities that cannot be funded from national budgets.
Seminar: “Under the same roof – how to work cross-sectorally on inclusion”
25–28 October 2017, Bucharest, Romania
This was a stakeholder seminar on cross-sectoral cooperation for young people with fewer opportunities – notably Roma youth – in order to enable their active involvement and integration in society.
Seminar: “Changing the narrative on Roma in healthcare settings”
24–26 October 2017, Ohrid, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
The seminar consisted of keynote lectures and training in small groups on the fundamentals of narrative approaches to health care, exploring how narratives shape Roma patients’ experiences of ill health and the health care system.
Professional Development Workshop: School Inclusion
5–7 October 2017, Bratislava, Slovakia
During this professional development workshop on school inclusion (specifically, minority language and culture, Roma, and special needs pupils) specific workshops and seminars were held on various issues, such as inclusion and exclusion from a psychological perspective, and discussing children from socially excluded Roma localities (raising questions of whether this represents failure or an opportunity for teaching).
RCC RI2020 Second Roma Integration Task Force Meeting
20–21 September 2017, Belgrade, Serbia
The annual meeting of the RCC RI2020 Task Force discussed the RI2020 implementation, the first annual reporting cycle by the participating economies, the EU framework for the NRISs up to 2020, budgeting for Roma integration policies, and upcoming activities for 2018. The RI2020 received a mandate to evaluate and propose a standardized and unified regional approach for Roma-sensitive budgeting.
Progress reports from 2016 on the implementation of the NRISs and action plans in the western Balkans and Turkey
These reports have been submitted by the participating governments in the RI2020 project of the RCC. The reports follow a regionally standardized and adopted template and will be submitted annually to the RCC. They elaborate on the progress achieved in the implementation of Roma-related strategies, the budget allocated, as well as the impact of policies and programmes on Roma people.
2017 National Platform on Roma Integration: meetings in Albania (23 May), Serbia (13 June) and Montenegro (5 July) and their related policy papers
In each of the National Platform meetings, the 2016 annual report on the implementation of Roma integration policy in the relevant country was presented, along with the civil society view on the issue in each case. The policy papers resulting from the National Platform meetings include an overview of the discussions, conclusions and recommendations, and in the case of the Serbian National Platform, a related policy brief also extract the relevant recommendations.
Public Budgeting for Roma Integration Policies
The RCC RI2020 Action Team organized a 2-day regional workshop on budgeting for Roma integration policies on 20–21 March 2017 in Skopje. The report presents a summary of the discussions during the workshop, including regional and national recommendations on public budgeting to be further elaborated by the Action Team.
The underrepresentation of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils in higher education
This 2017 report commissioned by King’s College London on barriers from early years to secondary and beyond explores why Gypsies, Roma and Travellers are underrepresented in higher education, including the barriers that inhibit their success throughout compulsory education and the specific factors which reduce their participation in higher education.
Improving payment mechanisms to support a new delivery model for tuberculosis care in Romania
This WHO Regional Office for Europe report attempts to describe in detail the new model of delivering and financing tuberculosis services – which was the final outcome of three missions carried out on 19–22 October 2015, and 13–15 April and 12–16 December 2016, together with a roadmap.
This strategy is a cross-departmental initiative to improve the lives of the Traveller and Roma communities in Ireland.
Ignored and unequal: Roma access to the right to housing and education in Turkey
This is a report published in June 2017 by Minority Rights Group International and The Zero Discrimination Association as part of the Project “Mobilising Civil Society for Monitoring Equality for Roma People in the Education and Housing Systems in Turkey”.
Towards a comprehensive EU protection system for minorities
This study of the Directorate-General for Internal Policies (European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs) presents the state of play regarding the main challenges characterizing the protection of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in a selection of 11 European countries, in light of existing international and regional legal and policy frameworks.
Stathopoulou C. Once upon a time… The gypsy boy turned 15 while still in the first grade. In: Rosa M, Shirley L, Gavarrete ME, Alangui WE, editors. Ethnomathematics and its diverse approaches for mathematics education. New York (NY): Springer International Publishing; 2017:97–123.
