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REPORT Working meeting of Roma NGOs in Romania

Involving Roma civil society in national and international public policies

Bucharest

6-7 November 2004

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Introduction

Having regard to recent national and international initiatives concerning social inclusion and anti-discriminatory policies aimed at the Roma (establishing the National Agency of the Roma, the Decade of Roma Inclusion, the Joint Inclusion Memorandum signed by the European Union and Romania etc.), the General Secretariat of the Romanian Government – National Agency for the Roma, in partnership with “Impreuna” Agency for Community Development and the United Nations Development Program, organised between 05.11.2004 and 07.11.2004 the Working Meeting of Roma Organisations in Romania: “Involving Roma civil society in national and international public policies.” Seminar objectives

A) Informing the participants about the degree of accomplishment of various European / national initiatives targeted at the Roma and starting the first stage of consultations with Roma associations and foundations, in order to ensure the coherence of activities scheduled for 2005-2007:

1. Strategy for Improving the Condition of Roma in Romania - Governmental Decision HG 430/2001

2. National Plan for Fighting Poverty and Promoting Social Inclusion – Governmental Decision HG 829/2001

3. How the National Agency for the Roma works 4. The Joint Inclusion Memorandum signed by EU and Romania

(JIM) 5. Roma European Forum 6. Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005 – 2015.

B) Comments made by the organisations in attendance on the Plan of Measures drafted by the General Secretariat of the Government / Department For Interethnic Relations / Office for Roma Issues (GSG/DIR/ORI) for the Decade of Roma Inclusion.

C) Establishing the Council of Roma Organisations in Romania (CROR) as a network of Roma non-governmental organisations that are part of various forms of association (For Romanque, Civic Alliance of Roma, National Roma Network etc.) whose joint mission is to promote the interests of Roma communities. D) Establishing the priorities of the Council for 2005-2007, its communication strategies, its code of ethics etc.

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E) Nominating Roma representatives on the Joint Committee for Monitoring Governmental Decision H.G. 430/2001 and representatives within Ministerial Commissions for the Roma. Participation

The meeting was attended by representatives of Roma (non)governmental organisations with a proven track record in the social field, as well as by representatives of international bodies present in Romania.

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Day 1 - Saturday 06.11.2004 The first half of the day was dedicated to a description of the first steps taken towards the implementation/achievement of national and international initiatives concerning the Roma in Romania. The presentations were made by the representatives of the institutions concerned. Presentation 1 – Governmental Decision HG 430/2001 – Strategy for Improving the Condition of the Roma in Romania1 Presentation: 11.. SSttrraatteeggyy ffoorr IImmpprroovviinngg RRoommaa CCoonnddiittiioonn -- 22000044 -its administrative structure; funding for its implementation The administrative structure is based on the principle of vertical and horizontal de-centralisation. CENTRAL LEVEL: • National Agency for the Roma • Joint Committee for Implementation and Monitoring • Ministerial Commissions for the Roma within national authorities and line

ministries LOCAL LEVEL: • County Offices for the Roma • The de-centralised structures of central public administration (Prefectures,

County School Inspectorates, Directorates for Public Health, County Agencies for Employment, County Agencies for Child Protection and Adoption)

• Roma experts within Prefectures • Joint working groups So far the main sources of funding for the implementation of the Strategy have been the European Union and the Romanian Government. Programs funded by the state budget “Partnership for Roma Support 2003”, 56 billion ROL “Implementing and monitoring activities within the «Strategy for Improving Roma Condition» – 2004”, 64 billion ROL PHARE Programs PHARE RO 9803.01, “Improving Roma condition”, 2000-2002, 2 MEURO, out of which 0.9 MEURO was allocated to projects. PHARE RO 0004.02.02, “Civil Society Development 2000”, 2002-2003, with a component for “Improving Roma Condition” amounting to 1 MEURO. PHARE RO 01.04.02, “Access to education for disadvantaged groups, focusing on the Roma” 2002-2004, 8.33 MEURO, out of which an amount of 1.33 MEURO was contributed by the Romanian Government.

1 Presentation made by the representative of the Office for Roma Issues

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PHARE RO 2002/000-586.01.02, “Support to the «National Strategy for Improving Roma Condition»“, 2003-2005, 6 MEURO, out of which an amount of 1.2 MEURO was contributed by the Romanian Government. PHARE RO 03005-551.01.02, "Access to education for disadvantaged groups“, 2004-2006, 11.33 MEURO, out of which an amount of 2.3 MEURO was contributed by the Romanian Government The 2004-2006 multi-annual PHARE program is pending approval by the European Commission; implementation is scheduled for 2005-2009. The Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015

agreed upon pursuant to the July 2003 Budapest Conference, “Roma in an Expanding Europe: Challenges for the Future”

8 Central and Easter European states attended the conference focus areas: education, health, employment, housing official kick-off date: February 2005

Presentation 2- NATIONAL AGENCY FOR THE ROMA – overall description2 Having regard to the Romanian Government’s wish to improve the condition of national minorities, Having regard to the provisions of the 2001-2004 government program concerning the prevention of discrimination and the need to effectively enforce the provisions of the “Strategy for Improving the Condition of Roma”, the Romanian Government decided to establish the National Agency for the Roma.

Pursuant to consultations between the representatives of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet and representatives of Roma non-governmental organisations in Romania, on 07.10.2004 the Romanian Government approved through an emergency ordinance the establishment of the National Agency for the Roma as a government structure in charge of Roma issues.

Government Decision 1703 of 14/10/2004 regulates the organisation and operation of the National Agency for the Roma. The National Agency for the Roma (NAR) is the specialised body of the central public administration. NAR took over the responsibilities and the staff of the Office for Roma Issues and the Phare Program Implementation Unit. The National Agency for the Roma, subordinated to the Romanian Government, is chaired by a President and coordinated by the Minister for the coordination of the General Secretariat of the Government. The National Agency for the Roma elaborates the Government’s policy and strategy regarding the protection of Roma minority rights. 2 Presentation made by Mr. Ilie Dincă, Subsecretary of State, DIR/ORI

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Apart from having other functions of leadership and representation, the president of the Agency acts as chair of the Joint Committee for the Implementation and Monitoring of the Strategy for Improving Roma Condition, and as third expenditure authorising officer. Functions of the National Agency for the Roma:

a strategic function, whereby it ensures the elaboration of social policies, strategies and programs targeting the Roma minority;

the management of budget funds earmarked for the elaboration of programs aimed at the development of Roma communities;

a function of representation, whereby the Romanian state is represented at home and abroad in all the events related to its specific field of activity;

a function of state authority, ensuring the supervision and control of the enforcement of legal provisions regulating its specific field of activity.

The National Agency for the Roma will represent both an instrument and a guarantee of the accurate and effective elaboration, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of public policies and programs aiming to improve the social and economic condition of Roma in Romania.

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Presentation 3 – The National Plan for Fighting Poverty and Promoting Social Inclusion3 CHAPTER 14 Roma PNAinc 2002-2004

In the elaboration of the National Plan for Fighting Poverty and Promoting Social Inclusion (PNAInc), Roma NGOs were represented in the working groups who contributed to the section concerning the Roma minority. PNAinc It is a specific characteristic of the Roma population that poverty, which is often

both severe and extensive, is doubled by marked cases of marginalisation and social exclusion. A significant part of the Roma population is caught in the trap of a multiple lack

of personal and family resources: an acute lack of income, precarious living conditions, lack of education and qualifications, involvement in the grey economy, lack of identity papers. All these are compounded by a public image which is more often than not

negative. All of these conditions have a detrimental effect on Roma access to social services: education, employment, personal security and even social support. The specific nature of social exclusion among the Roma is precisely the

existence of sources of exclusion which are only very rarely – if at all – encountered among the rest of the population, such as the lack of legal status documents or illegal squatting. The great majority of the population facing extreme poverty in Romania is

represented by Roma ethnics. The lack of legal status, which in turn leads to exclusion from any social right,

affects a significant number of Roma. They are denied all the right deriving from citizenship: social support, social security, civic and political involvement, legal employment. Guaranteed Minimum Income

The system of the Guaranteed Minimum Income is meant to support the group facing the most severe conditions of poverty. However, a significant part of the Roma population has limited access to this type of social support due to their lack of identity papers or permanent residence. Education

A severe educational deficit, often manifested as illiteracy, seems to have been rendered more acute by the transition period.

The cost of education is excessive for a great part of the Roma population, when compared to the actual chance of graduating even primary school, which would enable one to obtain access to the labour market. 3 Presentation made by the representative of CASPIS – the Commission for Fighting Poverty and Promoting Social Inclusion.

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Some data suggest that due to traditional patterns favouring marriage at an early age, the community sometimes exerts a certain pressure on girls to drop out of school before graduating compulsory education cycles. The labour market Massive deficit of professional qualification. Traditional Roma trades are less

and less functional in a modern economy, and the proportion of skilled adult population is low. The great majority of the Roma have no qualifications, which leads to their marginalisation on the labour market. Due to the shock of the last decades, the young generation shown a more severe lack of qualification than the older generations. Informal income generation characterising a great part of the Roma population

constitutes an indirect source of poverty and social exclusion: it ensures some sort of precarious livelihood, but blocks any access whatsoever to social benefits related to waged/formal work (sick leave, health insurance, maternity leave, social security); they push people to the edge of legality and increase the risk of various social sanctions, as well as the risk of crime.

Some economic activities to which the Roma have access are highly likely to lead to extremely poor living conditions; they have a negative impact on health and social image. Waste collection is a case in point. The Roma in rural areas

The condition of the Roma living in rural areas is particularly concerning. Due to historic reasons and the overlooking of the problem after 1989, most of the Roma living in rural areas do not own land (the main source of livelihood for many people living in rural areas); many families do not own the land that their houses are built on.

Access to healthcare decreased drastically after the social security system was introduced. The rising price of healthcare-related costs such as the cost of medicines has limited the access to healthcare even more.

Access to services related to family planning and reproductive health has dire consequences. Health

The lack of medical supervision of pregnant women and in particular of children leads to high values of child morbidity and mortality in this group. Housing

Housing is particularly poor. For an important segment of the Roma population, living conditions can be characterised as follows: precarious living conditions, frequently makeshift or illegally built houses, the lack of any housing, or living on rented premises, which given current conditions actually absorbs a significant proportion of the families’ meagre income. Objective 1

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Settling cases of missing identity papers. Deadline: December 2003 – Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Justice Objective 2 Ensuring access to reproductive health services: family planning, safe sex, medical support for pregnant women and for children. Objective 3 Ensuring a minimal healthcare package for all, irrespective of whether they are covered by health insurance or not. Objective 4 Enhancing school attendance among Roma children: almost full attendance of

compulsory education and high attendance of secondary and tertiary education cycles should be ensured in 10 years’ time. Increased participation in pre-school education as a means of preparation for

school integration, but also as a type of social support for children and parents. Ensuring that all Roma children attend (at least) primary school. Using complex types of support for school attendance and the prevention of

drop-out and failure, by the development of complementary services: free meals, doing home assignments at school etc. Massive support to participation in secondary education, mainly vocational but

also to high-school education leading to higher education: scholarships, hostels etc. Increasing the number of Roma undergraduates.

Objective 5 Enhancing Roma involvement in formal economy, with special focus on young

people. It is necessary that an intensive professional training and employment program

for young people should be launched. Financial support for income-generating activities and house-building. Providing the Roma living in rural areas with agricultural land and land to build

houses on. Objective 6

Finding a legal solution to the illegal possession of houses/land. Objective 7

Fighting all forms of discrimination against the Roma and promoting a supportive collective attitude. Objective 8

Rehabilitating the collective self-image and the public image of the Roma population.

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Updating the PNAinc As it is undergoing a massive process of institutional building, CASPIS is

interested in co-operation with other institutions willing to participate in the elaboration and monitoring of the future PNAinc. We take such cooperation to mean a framework allowing all the groups involved

to understand the problems faced by their partners and in particular the resources that the community has available. Presentation 4 – The Joint Inclusion Memorandum (JIM) 20044 Overview Elaboration of the JIM The elaboration of the Joint Inclusion Memorandum was a fruitful exercise in the collective in-depth analysis of the problems faced by Romanian society and the adequacy of existing social policies, as well as an opportunity to identify the main key-challenges and priorities. Of course, we are going through a process and some of the key-challenges

identified are already being addressed by the options and programs that have already been promoted; on the other hand, others constitute rather an expression of political commitment which is to be substantiated in concrete programs. From this point of view, the Memorandum represented an opportunity for exploring the potential for collective action in an innovative way. Roma participation in the labour market

The level of employment of the Roma population is significantly lower than among the general population (47% compared to 61,7% in 1998) and the unemployment rates indicated by unofficial sources vary according to the source.

A considerable lack of professional qualification, often combined with discriminatory practices, constitute major barriers to Roma access to the labour market.

Only 27,5% of the employed Roma population do waged work, which amounts to less than half of the general average.

Day work is the most frequent type of employment, most of it being in agriculture. Roma number estimates

The Roma minority is the second-largest after the Hungarian minority, as 2.5% of the population identify themselves as Roma. But the estimates made in the most extensive research carried out in 1998 indicate a higher percentage (6.7%). Poverty

The Roma population is characterised by a high level of poverty, as in 2003 the Roma were three times poorer than the general average. Up to 2001 the Roma population did not benefit from integrated governmental policies which to improve their standard of living. 4 Presentation made by the representative of the Ministry of Labour, Social Solidarity and Family.

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Health issues

As a consequence of low living standards and limited access to healthcare, reproductive health included, the healh status of the Roma population is much poorer than that of the general population.

Access to healthcare is difficult for a large number of Roma because of their lack of health insurance, their isolation and their lack of identity papers. Health problems

A special problem is that of teenage pregnancies: 37% of children are born by mothers not yet 18 years old.

One of the actors that have a negative influence on the health status of the Roma population is quantitatively and qualitatively deficient nutrition. The education of Roma children

The Roma population is characterised by a special pattern: right after 1989 there was a sharp decrease in school attendance. Due to sustained efforts, during the last years this trend has been reversed, and more and more Roma are being increasingly included in the educational system, particularly at secondary and higher levels.

17.3% of Roma children aged 7 to 16 have never gone to school; 11.6% of them left the system before completing their compulsory education.

More than a third of the Roma population (38.6%) are functionally illiterate. Participation in pre-school education is four times lower than in the general

population. The participation of Roma students in primary and secondary school is 25% and 30%, respectively, lower than among the general population.

Apart from the high rate of non-attendance, there is significant polarisation in the quality of the education provided. As a result of residential segregation, the schools attended by Roma children and other poor children provide a much lower quality of teaching staff and learning conditions.

Although there is general consensus regarding the non-segregation of Roma in schools, there are undesirable phenomena of ethnic separation in classes where there is a prevailing number of Roma pupils. Housing problems Overcrowding is a typical problem of the Roma population. More than 80% of

Roma households exceed the national average number of persons per room. Only 3% of the general population do not own their houses, whereas the

corresponding proportion of Roma is 21%.

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The houses, which are often located in marginal areas, are severely lacking in utilities and long-term use goods; this is more obvious in rural areas rather than urban areas, where the lack of any possibility of house maintenance and rehabilitation is less marked. Key priorities Improving the living conditions of the Roma population, by:

Developing economic opportunities and creating employment opportunities; Improving access to all levels of education; Identifying and providing agricultural land to Roma living in rural areas, as

well as land for building houses either in a traditional or a modern system; Ensuring full access to primary healthcare; Fighting all forms of discrimination against the Roma in all fields

(employment, access to public services etc.) and promoting a supportive collective attitude.

Social protection for the Roma population Existing policies Since the beginning of transition the social support of the Roma population has been a constant option of governments, of the community and of all the stakeholders. Special attention has been paid to the employment of Roma ethnics in the public system. Roma ethnics were hired by County Directorates for Labour and Social Solidarity even as far back as 1990. There are Roma members of county and local councils, Roma mayors, Roma experts within County Offices for the Roma. The Roma group is represented in Parliament and in government institutions. Social protection for the Roma population: In 2001, the Romanian Government approved the “Strategy for Improving the

Condition of the Roma” (SICR), which defines long-term directions of action and includes a Master Plan of Measures for 2001-2004. The elaboration, implementation and monitoring of the Strategy have been

carried out with the extensive participation of Roma organisations. The Office for Roma Issues within the Department for Inter-ethnic Relations,

subordinated to the Prime Minister, is the government body responsible for the enforcement of the strategy. County and local structures have been established for the same purpose.

Lately there was a significant increase in the degree of Roma integration into the labour market by various measures. The action plan drafted by the National Agency for Employment includes Roma ethnics in difficulty in its primary target group.

Education is characterised by a policy of encouraging Roma school attendance at all levels.

Evaluation There are two main types of difficulties in the implementation of national and

local strategies and programs aiming to improve the condition of the Roma:

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The limitation of available financial resources; The Institutions and skills required for such a program meant to improve the

social and economic life of the Roma populations are in an early stage of development. Action priorities Implementing a national program meant to identify Roma ethnics who do not

have identity papers and to solve this problem; Ensuring extensive school attendance among Roma children both as regards

compulsory and vocational education, and as regards their participation in higher education; Stimulating Roma employment by:

RRaaiissiinngg tthhee lleevveell ooff pprrooffeessssiioonnaall ttrraaiinniinngg aanndd tthhee lleevveerraaggee ooff aaccttiivvee eemmppllooyymmeenntt mmeeaassuurreess;;

SSttiimmuullaattiinngg iinntteerreesstt iinn aanndd mmoottiivvaattiioonn ffoorr iinnvvoollvveemmeenntt iinn ffoorrmmaall eeccoonnoommyy;; IInnccrreeaassiinngg tthhee eemmppllooyyeerrss’’ wwiilllliinnggnneessss ttoo eemmppllooyy RRoommaa eetthhnniiccss;; IInnccrreeaassiinngg tthhee lleevveell ooff eemmppllooyymmeenntt iinn aaccttiivviittiieess tthhaatt pprroovviiddee iinn--hhoouussee qquuaalliiffiiccaattiioonn..

Developing the capacity and motivation of Roma families and communities to

actively support the children’s social development with a view to their integration in a modern society; Developing a system of social and healthcare services focusing on Roma

access to primary healthcare, to information on reproductive health, and on social and medical care for mothers and children; Developing a system of health mediators as a temporary solution before the

establishment of a stable relation between the system and the communities; Support for the development of community infrastructure in disadvantaged

areas and support for the building and rehabilitation of houses; Increased support for access to land for housing and agricultural purposes,

particularly for the Roma living in rural areas; Increasing inclusion in all the sectors of social life (school, work, mass-media);

promoting support for Roma efforts of integration within a modern society; Strengthening partnerships between public institutions and Roma

representative groups; Implementing awareness-raising campaigns meant to rehabilitate the self-

image and the public image of the Roma population; fighting all forms of discrimination against the Roma and promoting a supportive collective attitude. Roma women, a specific risk group

Roma women in traditional communities are at great risk of cultural discrimination. The discrimination of Roma women can only be effectively prevented if the entire community is involved. A vocational-professional training program should be launched in order to counterbalance the low degree of involvement of Roma women in formal economy.

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Participants’ comments:

1. The degree of implementation of Governmental Decision HG 430/2001 is far from the expected results. This is partly due to the Office for Roma Issues, which failed to ensure a good coordination of the implementation of the Master Plan of Measures as well as a fair representation of Roma non-governmental organisations in the Joint Committee for the Implementation and Monitoring of Governmental Decision HG 430/2001; however, it is mainly due to a lack of political will at local level. 2. Roma experts within County Offices for the Roma are in most cases mere figureheads. The role conflict characterising many Roma experts (expert within the Prefecture, political representative, NGO leader) leads to poor performance. 3. A genuine and active partnership between local public authorities and non-governmental organisations is still an unfulfilled objective. 4. Local public authorities are only interested in Roma issues when financial resources other than the local budget are available for projects targeting the Roma community. 5. The allocation of financial resources for projects meant to improve the condition of Roma only to local public authorities is considered to be wrong, mainly because civil society is weakened and subordinated to local authorities and implicitly to political factors. Thus the independence of civil society is seriously impaired. 6. PNAinc is still a mere statement. More than three years after its adoption, it is difficult to quantify its achievements. Although there is special chapter dealing with Roma inclusion, an active partnership with Roma civil society is far from being accomplished. 7. There is a risk that the National Agency for the Roma (NAR) might turn into a “Roma Government.” The establishment of a government structure acting for the development of Roma communities in all of the priority fields (health, employment, infrastructure, housing, civil participation etc.) may lead to a ‘ghettoisation’ of Roma issues and in particular to the transfer of all these issues to a structure that would thus replace the ministries of labour, health, housing etc. Roma NGOs have expressed their concern in this respect. 8. Given previous experiences related to the human resources involved in the implementation of Governmental Decision HG 430/2001 (in particular the representatives in County Offices for the Roma), it is deemed necessary for NAR staff to be appointed on the basis of professional competence. 9. The Joint Inclusion Memorandum is the result of negotiations that involved only some of the Roma organisations. It is required that larger number of Roma organisations should be involved in public debates. 10. The Roma NGOs in attendance deem it necessary to create a “civil society umbrella” which to represent its interests in negotiation with third parties.

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Presentation 5 – The Decade of Roma Inclusion5

Given that the Roma are the largest and most vulnerable European

minority, participants in the Budapest Conference of June-July 2003, entitled “Roma in an Expanding Europe: Challenges for the Future,” agreed to focus on the need to approach the poverty and social exclusion of this minority through a system of long-term policies.

The countries represented at the conference were Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Romania was represented by Prime Minister Adrian Năstase and a delegation of Roma civil society representatives.

During the above-mentioned Conference, the attending heads of government agreed on launching the Decade of Roma Inclusion (2005-2015) in order to set up a common working framework for actions meant to improve the economic and social status of the Roma in Central and Eastern Europe. The proposed framework comprises three major activities:

-Setting clear national objectives concerning improvements in the condition of the Roma;

- Developing a National Action Plan for the achievement of the set objectives;

- Ongoing monitoring of the degree of implementation of the set objectives.

It was agreed that a Roma Education Fund would be established in order to improve the educational performance and results of the Roma, thus contributing to the achievement of the educational objectives set out for the Decade of Roma Inclusion.

The Decade of Roma Inclusion represents a political commitment as well as a multi-national effort towards reducing the gap separating the Roma from the rest of the society as far as opportunities and living conditions are concerned. This goal can be achieved by measures targeted at social inclusion, anti-discrimination, equal opportunities, eliminating segregation.

The 2003 Conference emphasised the importance of Roma civil society involvement in the processes of the Decade of Roma Inclusion. The motto adopted by Roma delegations was highly suggestive: “Nothing for the Roma without Roma.”

5 Presentation made by Mrs. Plebis Florea, expert, Office for Roma Issues.

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The year 2004 was declared a preparatory year for the Decade; the governments and their representatives laid out the details required for the Decade process which will be launched at the beginning of 2005.

In December 2003 and in 2004 the Coordinating Committee for the Decade of Roma Inclusion convened four times. Head of the Romanian delegation was Mr. Cristian Jura, Secretary of State, as National Coordinator appointed by H.E. Adrian Nastase, Prime Minister of Romania. Mrs. Plebis Florea, government expert within the Office for Roma Issues, was appointed member of the Decade Expert Group.

During these meetings the delegations of the countries involved identified four focus areas: education, health, employment and housing.

In 2004 the World Bank organised workshops dealing with all the above-mentioned fields: education (February), employment (May), health (June), housing (September).

The fourth meeting of the National Coordination Committee for the

Decade of Roma Inclusion took place in Budapest on 14-15 October 2004; it was the last in a series of meetings scheduled for 2004, the preparatory year for the Decade.

It was agreed that the Decade wiould be officially opened on February 2, 2005, in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Prime Minister notified the Bulgarian Parliament of his wish to host this event.

As far as national launching is concerned, it was agreed that each country would organise its own decade opening event; the first proposal of a joint launch on April 8, 2005, the international Roma day, was rejected.

Another meeting highlight was the presentation on the Roma Education Fund, delivered by Mr. Arup Banerji, head of sector within the World Bank. Preparations for the fund are almost over, the fund is to be based in Paris, and on December 2 a meeting of potential donors will take place in Paris for fund-raising purposes.

The Romanian presentation focused on anti-discriminatory measures, on the assumption that the plan is in need of improvement from the point of view of anti-discrimination and gender issues. The audience was informed that the Office for Roma Issues would organise at the end of October 2004 a meeting with Roma civil society and ministry representatives, during which Roma NGOs were expected to put forth proposals for antidiscrimination and gender-related measures.

Another point of interest in the Romanian presentation was information regarding the future National Agency for the Roma. Starting from the future governmental structure specialised in Roma issues, Subsecretary of State Ilie Dincă made public Romania’s willingness to act as Secretary for the Decade of Roma Inclusion for the next year; the proposal is to be submitted to the attention of National Coordinators during the meeting scheduled for November 16, 2004 in Budapest, where each country will be represented by members of Prime Ministers’ Cabinets.

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The second session was allocated to group work on the National Action Plan put forth by the General Secretariat of the Government / Department for Inter-Ethnic Relations / Office for Roma Issues. The first version of this plan is enclosed as Annex 1. Group work: presentations Workshop 1 – Employment.

The Romanian Government’s Action Plan could not be used as a working document because it was available only in English, a fact which the participants considered to be disrespectful. Moreover, the participants stated that the document, far from being an action plan, is no more than a collection of general principles and does not set clear objectives, activities, responsible actors and deadlines.

The participants believed that the two hours’ time allocated for each workshop was not enough for the elaboration of a sectoral action plan and asked the Government to organise meetings focusing on each field, in order to carry out a genuine consultation process with Roma civil society. These meetings should be organised as soon as possible and should bring together Roma NGOs having sectoral expertise, in order to develop sectoral action plans.

Below are some of the general ideas expressed during the meeting. The

Roma organisations present at the meeting asserted once again the need for specific, concrete measures backed by clearly defined indicators of performance / evaluation / success. The role of the Roma should be consistent with the basic idea of the Decade: “Nothing for the Roma, without the Roma”.

Participants in the education workshop made a series of

recommendations which could serve as a starting point for the elaboration of a future action plan:

- continuation and development of affirmative measures, including the provision of free accommodation in boarding schools and the provision of scholarships to Roma students with excellent school performance or in financial hardship; supporting the employment of Roma graduates of high-schools or institutions of higher education by administrative structures dealing with Roma issues;

- monitoring the discrimination of Roma students in schools and establishing severe sanctions for teaching and administrative staff who segregate or discriminate against Roma students, as well as establishing reparatory measures meant to compensate for prejudice suffered by Roma students subjected to discrimination or segregation;

- introducing information on Roma history and culture in the compulsory curriculum, as a matter of emergency; such

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information should also be included in the Romanian history curriculum;

- introducing the presence of students belonging to national minorities among the criteria for funding schools, in particular the presence of Roma students;

- elaborating and implementing a well-defined policy of employment and granting tenure to Roma teaching staff;

- facilitating the issue of identity papers to Roma families in difficulty, both by tax exemption and by legal measures meant to render procedures more flexible (such as waiving the legal requirement that the issue of identity papers be conditioned by permanent residence);

- establishing educational expertise centres for the Roma; - establishing centres of excellence for Roma students with

outstanding school performance; - facilitating Roma access to alternative learning: distance learning

(including exemption form tuition fees), remedial education, intensive and short-term education, adult learning, school passport, charter schools etc.;

- establishing bilingual kindergartens (in Romany and Romanian) in communities with a significant Roma population, with mixed Roma-Romanian attendance;

- establishing bilingual primary education institutions (in Romany and Romanian) in communities with a significant Roma population, with mixed Roma-Romanian attendance;

- introducing intercultural education and information on Roma history and culture as part of standard and ongoing training for teaching staff;

- editing teaching aids (handbooks, anthologies, readers, audio/video material) in Romany and in bilingual version (Romany and Romanian);

- establishing day centres for Roma children; - establishing vocational education institutions specialising in Roma

traditional crafts and trades; - establishing commissions for monitoring the granting of letters of

recommendations to Roma applicants for special places in schools; the commissions should include both Roma NGO representatives and representatives of the respective institutions;

- including the school mediator among formally recognised occupations (as teaching staff);

- developing mentoring programs (including extra tuition and career advice) for Roma pupils and undergraduates;

- establishing private schools at European standards for Roma pupils;

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- outsourcing some of the specialised services from education providers to experienced Roma NGOs (for example adult learning);

- financial and logistic support to educational programs in the mass media aiming to promote a positive image of the Roma, to fight negative Roma stereotypes, to promote the values of Roma identity, to fight internalised stigmata and to enhance Roma self-confidence;

- establishing a Roma Press Agency which to provide accurate information about Roma issues and to fight distortion due to negative prejudice and stereotypes.

Workshop on employment: • The issue of employment should be approached in a comprehensive manner;

the Ministry of Labour, Social Solidarity and Family should cooperate with other structures (the registrar – for the issue of identity papers; town halls – regarding permanent residence; Directorates for Child Protection – alternative childcare services for large families).

• Developing antidiscrimination campaigns at local level. • Measures should be differentiated according to gender as well as social and

educational characteristics (level of education, residence, professional experience, traditional crafts etc).

• Employment services should be outsourced to Roma NGOs with expertise on such programs.

• The professional potential of Roma communities should be identified/assessed.

• Active measures should be implemented taking into account the demands of the labour market.

Workshop on health: • The concept of “health mediation” should be included in the medical training

curriculum (mediation should include specific characteristics of Roma communities; the approach should take into account their culture, level of education etc).

• The health status of Roma communities should be assessed regularly. • Quality services should be provided to all citizens. • Regional Health Centres should be established. Workshop on housing; • Housing needs should be assessed in each county. • Roma ownership of houses must be legalised (in particular by the issue of

ownership documents) • Local budgets should include resources for the execution of feasibility studies.

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• An office should be established within the line ministry (the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing) for the coordination of building and rehabilitation works for socially marginalised categories

• The building/rehabilitation of houses should be treated as a priority from the very beginning of the Decade.

• In-kind contributions of 10% should also be allowed. Workshop on poverty: • The term “poor community” needs to be clarified (a set of indicators should be

elaborated). • Young Roma could be given grants “repayable” from the income that the

beneficiary raises after obtaining employment. • Roma representatives should be actively involved in local/community

development programs. • Coherent and sustained policies should be implemented in order to support

the creation of a “middle class.” • Advice and consultancy centres in various fields (employment, education,

health). • Monitoring Roma access to social services. • Regulating legal status – identity papers, ownership documents etc. • Local infrastructure development programs (water, gas, electricity supply etc.) • Ongoing training for Roma leaders/future technicians. • Empowering partnerships between Roma NGOs and local public authorities. • A comprehensive approach to poverty. • Programs for developing Roma mass media at local/central level. Workshop on gender: The presence of Roma women in public and political life - Preventing and fighting stereotypes and prejudice in order to encourage the

assertion of Roma identity. - Promoting elements of Roma culture in accordance with human rights. - Promoting Roma women role models. - Changing the negative image of Roma women among the majority

population. - Facilitating the access of Roma women to information about their rights and

obligations. - Ongoing training for Roma women in all fields. - Promoting partnerships with structures that support human rights and the

rights of (Roma and non-Roma) women. - Facilitating access to funding in all fields. - Elaborating documents meant to influence public policies aimed at Roma and

gender issues. - Supporting local initiatives of Roma women in public life. - Encouraging international partnerships. - Lobby and advocacy on women’s rights targeted at international. - Written/video/audio material on the condition of Roma women.

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- Training courses for Roma women on becoming good community leaders, including gender issues.

Discussion of the steps taken for the establishment of the European Roma Forum was cancelled due to lack of time. Day II – 07.11.2004 Involving Roma civil society in antidiscrimination and social inclusion policies at national and international level. • Establishing the Council of Roma Organisations in Romania (CROR) as a

network of Roma non-governmental organisations that are part of various forms of association (For Romanque, Civic Alliance of Roma, National Roma Network etc.) whose joint mission is to promote the interests of Roma communities.

CROR wishes to be the “common voice” of non-governmental organisations that are part of various forms of association: For Romanque, Civic Alliance of Roma, National Roma Network etc. There should be a set of common priorities in the negotiations envisaged by the Roma civil society with the Romanian Government, the European Union, donors and third parties. What the Council of Roma Organisations in Romania wants to be is a network of Roma non-governmental organisations whose common mission is to promote the interests of Roma communities at local level. In accordance with these values, CROR will promote social inclusion and the non-discrimination of all Roma communities in Romania in relation with all national and international actors concerned. Members of CROR may be legally constituted Roma NGOs which are not members of other umbrella-organisations. CROR wishes to separate political issues from civic issues in Roma civil society and to provide member NGOs with opportunities for developing joint initiatives in the civic area. The present organisations decided the following: 1. A “national committee of Roma organisations” should be established in order

to act as a representative entity for the Roma civil society in Romania – unanimous decision.

2. The name of this committee shall be “Roma Organisations’ Advisory Board” (ROAB); there were 80 votes in favour of this decision and one against. This name shall be used starting on 07.11.2004.

3. ROAB will include no more than one representative of every member organisation – unanimous decision.

4. The organisational structure of ROAB shall not include the position of president – unanimous decision.

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5. ROAB shall have a Bucharest-based secretariat comprised of 5 persons. 6. ROAB shall convene on a quarterly basis or more frequently if needed –

unanimous decision. 7. The first meeting of ROAB will take place around December 10 and will be

organised by the Roma Party. 8. Future ROAB meetings will also take place in other locations than Bucharest. The agenda for the first meeting includes the following items: - Membership of the secretariat, location, payment, logistics etc. - Nomination of Roma organisation representatives on the Joint Committee for

the Monitoring and Implementation of Governmental Decision HG 430/2001 and Ministerial Commissions for the Roma.

- ROAB member organisations will nominate two representatives in the European Roma Forum (along with Dana Varga and Gheorghe Raducanu). Each ROAB member may put forth two proposals for nomination.

- Discussion of the latest steps towards the establishment of the National Agency for the Roma.

- ROAB type of organisation: legal or ‘virtual’? - Discussion of ‘ROAB principles’ and ‘ROAB Code of Communication’. - Appointing the General Assembly – tasks. - Appointing alternate (suppleant) members. - ROAB calendar of activities for 2005 “Impreuna” Agency for Community Development will prepare a set of documents (ROAB Principles and Code of Communication) to be subjected to debate and approval by the General Assembly of the Roma Organisations Advisory Board.

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ANNEXES Annex 1. Schedule of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015 Annex 2. Attendance sheet