March 10, 2019 - NGO Youth Roma, within the project "Romacted," will organize a seminar for the representatives of the local groups from the municipalities of Ulcinj, Bar, and Herceg Novi to be held in Petrovac on March 12 and 13, working on the Local Action Plan.
The working group, which was formed in Herceg Novi at the end of last year, consists of representatives of the Municipality, the Health Center, the Center for Social Work, the Schools, the Ministry of the Interior and the Employment Service. The Action Plan for Improving the Status of Roma is a fundamental document for activities aimed at their full social inclusion, said the president of Youth Roma Samir Jaha for the World Roma broadcast of Radio Herceg Novi:
"The working group to draw up the action plan is also working on monitoring and implementation with all relevant stakeholders. We are satisfied with the Municipality of Herceg Novi, and it goes with the planned dynamics. After this seminar, we will already have a draft Action Plan that will later pass the public hearing phase. We will have data for each area individually and expect that we will have a good picture of done so far, and what needs to be done to improve the status of Roma in the Municipality of Herceg Novi," said Jaha.
The project involved facilitators who mediate between the Roma community and the Municipality explained Jaha:
"The Council of Europe hires the facilitator. We expect to coordinate the work of this working group on the one hand and, on the other, to move people from the Roma community to create an informal group of people on a voluntary basis that will point to what the problems are and what are the priorities with the intention of being solved at the best possible way. Once a group of the community is formed, we intend to link them together and work together and solve the problems of the Roma community. The role of a facilitator is to encourage and motivate people from local self-government and the Roma community to be more active," Jaha pointed out.
The ROMACTED Good Governance and Empowerment Program for Roma and Egyptians at the local level is a joint program of the European Union (DG NEAR) and the Council of Europe. The objectives of the program are to help build the political will and sustainable ways of democratic governance at the local level, to help strengthen the Roma and Egyptian community, and to improve and reinforce the readiness, capacities, knowledge, and skills of the institutions involved in the implementation of the Inclusion Program.
Apart from Herceg Novi, the project is realized in Tivat, Bar, Ulcinj, Nikšić, Bijelo Polje and Berane.
