Building up capacity for Roma inclusion at local level Kosice, November 6 th, 2013

ROMACT Building political commitment and capacity for policy development based on a better understanding of Roma inclusion

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: 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 LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES National strategies 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 decision- makers  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

ROMED 2 Democratic governance and community participation through mediation

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 ( ) 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 All categories of citizens, including members of disadvantaged communities, minorities, etc. Develop, implement and evaluate public policies Vote Consult Contribute to all phases of public policy cycle. Influence public policies

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

CommunityMediatorInstitution 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 Monitoring meetings Community evaluation Institutional evaluation Joint evaluation Follow-up at institution level Follow-up of the Community Action Group Activities