Meeting of Governmental Officials responsible for policies toward Roma, Budapest, 23-24 March
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2001 07:22:35 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Meeting of Governmental Officials responsible for policies toward Roma, Budapest, 23-24 March
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Michael Guet <[email protected]>
Meeting of Governmental Officials responsible for policies
toward Roma, Budapest, 23-24 March
MEETING OF GOVERNMENTAL OFFICIALS
RESPONSIBLE FOR POLICIES TOWARDS ROMA
EYC-Budapest, 23-24 March 2001=20
The meeting of governmental officials dealing with Roma issues will
inaugurate Council of Europe activities under the Council of
Europe/OSCE-ODIHR Joint Project "Roma under the Stability Pact", which
is financed inter alia by the European Commission (see Minelres of 9
February about this Project). The meeting will take place in Council
of Europe premices at the European Youth Centre Budapest on 23-24
March.
The participating countries will be: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (including Montenegro) and "the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". The OSCE-ODIHR and the European
Commission Delegation in Budapest will also attend the meeting.
The aims of this particular meeting are to enable key officials
responsible for Roma issues to exchange experience, get familiar with
other legislation and mechanisms in which Roma play an active role, as
well as to build up working relationships in the region.
The participating countries are facing or have faced similar questions
with regard to their Roma communities, for instance: how to achieve a
better integration of the Roma by means of comprehensive strategies?
How to involve the Romani leaders and/or Romani experts in the current
processes of finding solutions to the problems? How to take into
account the wide diversity of Romani communities within each country
when dealing with the representation of the question of the Roma? How
to encourage State administration to commit itself with regard to
policies in favour of the Romani communities?
Issues such as the adoption of national strategies for Roma, as well
as the establishment of relevant mechanisms for active
participation/representation of Roma (inter-ministerial commissions
for Roma, national offices for Roma, self-governments, reserved seats
in parliaments, advisory councils, Roma advisers to key ministers,
etc.) will be raised at this meeting.
The meeting is firstly targetted to South-Eastern European countries
(Stability Pact countries). However, it was felt useful to invite
countries from Central Europe, which have in recent years adopted
national strategies/programmes for Roma and established aforementioned
monitoriting mechanisms. The meeting does not aim at promoting any
"model" in particular but rather to take stock of existing structures,
programmes and legislation which may be adapted - at least partly - to
national circumstances. Delegations will be requested to give examples
of good practices but also limits of their own "models".
Other activities under the Joint Council of Europe/OSCE-ODIHR, which
will take place in the participating countries of South East Europe,
will involve representatives of Roma NGOs and Roma experts (a number
of officials of Roma origin will already be present at the
above-mentioned meeting).
FINAL PROGRAMME
Friday, 23 March 2001
9h00-9h30 Opening session
Introductory presentations concerning inter alia the context and
expectations of this Meeting by:
Mr. Michael Guet, Council of Europe
Mr. Nicolae Gheorghe, OSCE-ODIHR
Mr. Ron Korber, EC Delegation Budapest
9h30-12h30 Round table discussion on the current situation of the
Roma
10h45 - 11h00 Coffee break
12h30 Lunch break taken at the EYC
14h00-15h00 Continuation of the round-table discussion
15h00-15h30 Coffee break
15h30-17h00 Presentations by countries, which have adopted
national programmes/strategies for Roma about the context and the
methodology for the adoption of these programmes
17h00-18h00 Discussion and information as concerns the future
adoption of such programmes/strategies in other countries
Saturday, 24 March 2001
9h30-10h45 Presentations by countries, which have adopted control
mechanisms to monitor the implementation of programmes/strategies for
Roma, and participation of Roma/Gypsies in these mechanisms, followed
by a discussion
10h45-11h00 Coffee break
11h00-12h00 Final remarks
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For any further information concerning this activity or the Project
"Roma under the Stability Pact", please contact:
Michael GUET
Project manager/Responsable de programme
Roma under the Stability Pact/Les Roms dans le Pacte de Stabilit=E9
Migration and Roma/Gypsies Division - DGIII
Division des Migrations et des Roms/Tsiganes =E0 la DG III
Council of Europe/Conseil de l'Europe
F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex, France
Tel: +33.(0)3.90.21.49.63
Fax: +33.(0)3.88.41.27.31
E-mail: [email protected]
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