On 9 December 2022, ahead of the international Human Rights Day celebrated universally on 10 December, Vahag Muradyan, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo and Maja Gruijic, Project Officer of the CoE ROMACTED II project visited the premises of one of the newest NGOs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Young Roma”, located near the town of Travnik.

Travnik is one of the 12 municipalities who benefit from the ROMACTED II programme, “Promoting Good Governance and Roma Empowerment at Local Level”, a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union. This year, the Programme supported the initiative of young Roma persons to formally establish an NGO to address the community’s needs. The Travnik municipality and ROMACTED II programme facilitators accompanied the young people throughout the process by providing legal support and allocating an office space.   According to the “Young Roma”, the premises of the new NGO, located in the immediate neighborhood of disadvantaged Roma community, should help them to better represent their interests and serve as a meeting space for the advancement of Roma rights.

On that occasion, the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo donated IT equipment and office furniture. ROMACTED II will further support renovation of the premises through its small grant scheme.   The CoE Office in Sarajevo, through its ROMACTED II program, will continue to support and promote this and other NGOs in order to empower them to voice the community’s concerns and bring positive change.