Press release
COUNSIL OF EUROPE AND EUROPEAN COMISSION SUPPORT ROMA IN MOLDOVA AND THE UKRAINE
General information
The project “Enhancing the domestic capacity to devise, implement, monitor and communicate on the National Action Plans for Roma (with a major focus on education and health) and countering negative stereotyping faced by Roma people” is a joint action of the Council of Europe and European Commission aiming to provide assistance to Governments and Roma NGOs from Moldova and the Ukraine, in order to improve their planning, implementation and monitoring processes of the National Action Plans for Roma. This project is not intended to provide assistance in terms of a grant or material or financial support to Roma organizations or governments of those two countries (Moldova and Ukraine), but instead aims to develop the above-mentioned capacities by providing training and consulting regarding public policies that concern the Roma according to the European countries’ model, as well as familiarization with the system of Roma mediators/school assistants and institutionalization of the sanitary mediators’ system. All of this will be accomplished within the background of the European “Dosta!” campaign of the Council of Europe on anti-discrimination and fighting negative prejudices and stereotypes against Roma (officially launched in Moldova in May 2008).
Project duration: 15 months
January 2008 - March 2009
Implementation Area:
Republic of Moldova and the Ukraine
Activities envisioned for the realization of the above-mentioned objectives will be conducted both in the capital cities and at regional levels in such a way as to provide for viable partnership/cooperation between local and central public authorities, Roma organizations and other stakeholders.
Partners:
All activities will be implemented in partnership with the relevant national and local authorities and with Roma NGOs. The project partners will be selected depending on their role and their institutional specific traits, mandate and competence relevant for effective improvement of the envisaged activities. Representatives of the Council of Europe will be permanently involved in the activities of the project and will cooperate closely with the experts of various international institutions such as OSCE, UNDP, UNICEF, World Bank, OSI, ERTF, etc.
Exchanges of experience between Moldova and the Ukraine, as well as with other countries of the European Union, will be encouraged and developed.
Main activities:
- Evaluation of needs/feasibility study/preparation activities
- training sessions/training courses
- regional and national level seminars
- public opinion awareness-raising campaigns
- publication and/or translation of materials (guides, brochures, etc.) in both local and Romani languages.
Expectations:
At the end of this project it is expected to see an improvement in planning, implementation and monitoring mechanisms with regard to action plans for Roma at both local and national levels in such a way as to become more inclusive for Roma representatives in those two countries.
Ruslan Stanga
Consultant, Council of Europe
National Project Coordinator for Moldova and the Ukraine.
Republic of Moldova
e-mail R.STANGA@ogradanaostra.org
