Building up capacity for Roma
inclusion at local level
Kosice, November 6th, 2013
Building political commitment and
capacity for policy development based on
a better understanding of Roma inclusion
ROMACT
ROMACT
 A joint initiative of:
 Council of Europe
 European Commission
 European Alliance of Cities and Regions
for Roma Inclusion
ROMACT
A response to the conclusions of the
Summit of Mayors on Roma:
BUILDING MUTUAL TRUST AT THE
GRASSROOTS
(Strasbourg, France, 22 September 2011)
ROMACT / ROMED2 countries and cities:
2013-2014
ROMACT countries:
Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Italy,
ROMACT/ROMED2 cities in Slovakia:
6 municipalities
ROMACT
 Building political commitment and
capacity for policy development based
on a better understanding of Roma
inclusion
ROMACT target groups
 Elected local officials
 Executives from local authorities
Pressure on local authorities
National strategies
LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES
Daily needs and requests from the local community
ROMACT will:
 Build capacity for implementation of policies
and practices that improve Roma inclusion;
 Support the establishment and enforcement
of mechanisms and processes ensuring good
governance standards;
 Improve the efficiency, effectiveness,
ownership and sustainability of local policies.
ROMACT enables local authorities
 overcome the challenges and barriers;
 provide concrete outputs relevant for Roma
needs
ROMACT activities
 Country workshop for elected decisionmakers
 Country workshop for local executives
 Tailor-made thematic local workshops
 Local processes
 Web-platform
 National meetings to reflect on progress
 Transnational exchanges
ROMACT offers to local authorities
 Information and awareness for elected officials
 Training for staff of local authorities, including
decision-making executives
 A set of tools and practical resources
 Tailor-made support for the elaboration and
implementation of local policies for Roma inclusion
 Support for local processes integrating Roma
concerns into mainstream policies
 Opportunities to exchange experiences and reflect
on successes and failures
Democratic governance and community
participation through mediation
ROMED 2
Persistent challenges
 Current situation is characterised in many
locations by at least some of the following
features:
 Unequal and unfair distribution of community
resources, disfavouring Roma
 Lack of consultation mechanisms or, where such
mechanisms exist, exclusion of Roma or tokenism
 Paternalistic attitudes / dependency
 Mutual mistrust and mutual blaming between Roma
and public institutions
Need to change
From
 a vicious circle of blame and discouragement
To
 a virtuous circle of trust-building and cooperation
From
 Dependency and paternalism
To
 Empowerment and recognition

Stimulate respect for human rights and active citizenship
Building on ROMED (2011-2013)
ROMED (1)
 was a training programme for mediators working
with Roma communities
 developed competences of mediators
 promoted a new approach to mediation, based on
human rights and with the aim of generating
empowerment of Roma and enhanced
accountability on the side of public institutions
Lessons learned from ROMED (1)
 The approach promoted was new for most
mediators but appreciated ad useful and
needed
 Positive results have been obtained
But…
Lessons learned from ROMED (1)
 Envisaged involvement of representatives of
public institutions in the training and in the
cooperation with mediators was lower than
expected
 Mediators need more support to implement
effectively the work cycle
 Sustainability is also a matter of concern
Inclusive participatory democracy
Public authorities
Develop,
implement and
evaluate public
policies
Consult
Vote
Contribute to all
phases of public
policy cycle.
Influence
public policies
All categories of citizens,
including members of disadvantaged communities, minorities, etc.
Building capacity on both sides
The new ROMED2 programme:
 aims at supporting local partners (local
administration and Roma communities)
 to engage each other in a partnership that
leads to a balance of powers, shared resources,
and positive change in local decisions.
The second phase of the ROMED programme will
work simultaneously on both Roma citizens’
ability to participate and the authority’s ability to
respond.
Community empowerment
 Roma citizens are encouraged and supported
to participate in a Community Action Group
 The Community Action Group is supported to
engage in a dialogue with authorities
Institutional capacity building
 Training is provided to staff of the public
institutions involved
 Expected results:
 Awareness of their responsibilities (principles of good
governance)
 Better understanding of Roma situation and needs
 Recognition of the Community Action Group
 Concrete measures decided together
 A sustainable system ensuring participation of Roma
The mediator
 Works with both parties and supports them to
engage in effective dialogue
 Additional support is provided by the National
Programme Officer and the team of trainers
Expected outcomes
 Competences and skills for participation
 Motivation and trust that participation can
have results
 Community Action Group – a flexible structure
recognised by authorities as a partner of
dialogue
 Mechanisms of consultation involving Roma
 Concrete responses and co-responsibility
Expected outcomes
 Competences and skills for participation
 Motivation and trust that participation can
have results
 Community Action Group – a flexible structure
recognised by authorities as a partner of
dialogue
 Mechanisms of consultation involving Roma
 Concrete responses and co-responsibility
Expected outcomes
Expectations from Mayors/civil servants/local
councillors
 To promote Roma inclusion;
 To seek the commitment of your Local Council;
 To designate a person with decision-making authority;
 To ensure effective dialogue with the local Roma
community
 To ensure the participation of relevant staff members to
trainings;
 To support the evaluation of impact and results.
Support provided by the
Council of Europe
political endorsement, visibility and support;
expert visits and trainings
thematic events and study visits
expert support, international co-ordination
and participation in international events;
 linking with other related programmes;
 communication and networking between
participating cities.
 overall co-ordination and administration of
the programme
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Activities
Community
Mediator
Institution
Information and initial training during the national workshop for
representatives of municipalities and the mediator
Mediator identifies a core group of community members
interested to become involved in the Community Action Group
Preliminary training of Roma citizens done by the mediator
Provides support to
mediator
Setting-up of the Community Action Group
Training of the Community Action Group
Collecting data, analyzing the situation, prioritizing
Provides information and
support
Defining the Community Action Plan
Identification of the relevant institutional counterparts
Training on inclusive good governance and related topics
Analysis of the situation from the institutional perspective
Development of proposals from institutional perspective
Joint planning meeting moderated by the mediator and with the ROMED trainers as observers,
bringing together the staff team and the Community Action Group
Implementation
Implementation
Monitoring meetings
Community evaluation
Institutional evaluation
Joint evaluation
Follow-up at institution level
Follow-up of the Community Action Group
Implementation