Back International Roma Day marked in several municipalities in Montenegro

International Roma Day marked in several municipalities in Montenegro

Within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe ROMACTED II, in the period from 7 to 12 April, numerous activities marked the International Roma Day, 8 April.

 

In cooperation with the NGO "Young Roma", the support organisation in the implementation of ROMACTED programme, events were organised in five municipalities (Bar, Berane, Bijelo Bolje, Niksic and Ulcinj), with the aim to promote Roma culture, identity and tradition, while at the same time drawing attention to the most important problems that Roma community continues to face in Montenegro.

 

Thus, in Bar, Bijelo Polje, and Nikšić, appropriate musical and educational programmes were organised, within which, through recitations, traditional dance, and songs, the culture and history of the Roma were presented. A sports tournament was organised in Ulcinj, in which children of the Roma and the majority population participated. At the same time, in Berane, a lecture was held for primary school students on the Roma Day and the importance of its celebration.

 

The bearers of these activities were ROMACTED facilitators, who organised them, both in cooperation with the municipalities – partners in the implementation of the ROMACTED programme, and with other local actors with whom cooperation was established on issues of social inclusion of the Roma.

 

At the invitation of the Council of Europe and the NGO "Young Roma", partner municipalities raised the Roma flag on their buildings on the occasion of Roma Day. In this symbolic way, they have made a significant contribution to the overall efforts of the Roma in Montenegro to exercise their rights and get opportunities that belong to them, and at the same time, they have helped show respect for their tradition.

 

In the Capital Podgorica, which is also a partner within ROMACTED, Roma Day was marked by numerous activities, the implementation of which was in charge of the NGO "Civic Alliance" –support organisation in the implementation of the programme in Camp Konik. One of the activities organised was an exhibition of works made by women from the Roma community from Camp Konik during the Decoupage workshops, which was presented as part of the Roma Day event organised by the Capital Podgorica – Secretariat for Social Welfare.

 

A football tournament was organised for children from the Roma and majority communities, who competed and socialised under the slogan "We choose equality". The tournament was organised with the support of the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights, as part of the ROMACTED program. The Millennium Bridge in Podgorica was in the colours of the Roma flag. Other partners also contributed to the celebration of Roma Day by raising the Roma flag. Among them is the Delegation of the European Union in Podgorica.

Montenegro 7 - 12 April 2022
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page

Action summary

ROMACTED, “Promoting good governance and Roma empowerment at local level”, is a Joint Programme between the European Union (DG NEAR) and the Council of Europe. The programme will be implemented by the Council of Europe’s Support Team of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma issues and the Office of the Directorate General of Programmes in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, Serbia, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Turkey.

To build up political will and sustained policy engagement of authorities, to enhance democratic participation and empowerment of local Roma communities, to design and implement projects and to access national and external funds.

  1. To empower Roma community - on the individual level (assisting people to practice their basic rights and to expand their capacity and skills), as well as on the community level (assisting people to get organised to voice out their interests around community problem solving);

  2. To improve and expand the institutions' commitment, capacities, knowledge and skills in working for Roma inclusion, putting in practice the concepts of good governance;

The specificity of the actions would be to assist the local authorities to integrate Roma specific dimension/measures into the mainstream local policies, budgets and public service delivery in their agenda. 

Estimated results

The key assumptions for this support are based on the theory of change and are as follows:

  • Support to local authorities for ensuring openness, transparency and equity in dealing with local plans and budgets will lead to inclusive local plans and resource;
  • Enhanced capacity-building through training and coaching has a positive impact on public administration for delivering quality services to all citizens (including Roma citizens);
  • Municipality regulations and practices have an impact on the participation and empowerment of Roma: information is available, there is a recognition of the Community Action Group, participation is effective;
  • Community Action Group interventions will have a positive impact on presenting choices to be transformed into actions that will increase the ability of ordinary Roma citizens to assess their needs, contribute to the development of local public projects, watch-over their implementation, and monitor the local public budget;

Main activities

  • All Programme activities and incentives are meant to support strategic interventions (training, coaching, the implementation of participatory working cycles, advocacy actions, etc. during key moments of the municipal cycles: planning, budgeting, local decisions, projects etc.) which influence the attitudes, behaviour and actions of the local actors.
  • The Programme will adapt its actions and activities to each country and to each selected location from these countries, in order to fit in the policy cycle and to the dynamics and reality of each municipality, thus bringing an additional input to existing policies and practices for an effective and more inclusive functioning;
  • One of the leading guidelines in the methodology of the Programme is that participation in local governance can only be effective if it is context-appropriate. Thus, preliminary mapping, assessment, baseline survey and research are done in each selected municipality so as to facilitate the adaptation of the Programme and its support and monitoring of the process

This webpage has been produced using funds of a joint project between the European Union and the Council of Europe. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.

Project at a glance
  • Duration: 36 months (May 2017 – April 2020)
  • Beneficiaries/Partners: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo*, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey
  • Funding: The European Union and the Council of Europe
  • Budget: 3 750 000 EUR

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence. 

Project Contact