5th International Roma Women's Conference: 

Skopje, 6-7 October 2015

On 6 and 7 October 2015, the Council of Europe organised together with the Government of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” the 5th International Review Conference of Roma Women in Skopje.

The Review Conference was attended by more than 100 participants, including Roma women from 20 member States of the Council of Europe, political figures, government representatives and experts. The event took stock of developments in the area of Romani women’s rights and social inclusion at national level since the first international conference of Roma women in 2007 in Sweden and it aimed to build on the latest results of the 4th international conference from 2013 in Finland, particularly on the Strategy for the Advancement of Romani women and Girls, 2014-2020 of the Phenjalipe Network of Roma Women. Through the facilitation of side events and workshops, the Conference aimed to provide space for Roma women and relevant stakeholders to exchange relevant experiences, work results and good practices and build stronger cooperation across countries. It also aimed to discuss more in-depth specific priority areas identified during the preparatory process, namely the mainstreaming of gender in the national Roma integration strategies and local action plans, empowerment and participation as well as forms of violence against Roma women, with a focus on trafficking and child marriage. The conclusions and recommendations of the Review Conference may serve as further guidelines for relevant policy makers at national level and international organisations, including the Council of Europe.

4th International Roma Women’s Conference: Acting now for an equal future

More than 150 Roma women from across Europe are meeting in Helsinki from 16-17 September to discuss ways of improving the situation for themselves, their families and their communities. Among the main aims of the 4th International Roma Women's Conference are drawing up a strategy, underlining the importance of involving women in policy implementation, and improving networking between Roma women and other groups working for gender equality. The meeting's agenda has been set by the women who are taking part.

The conference will be opened by former Finnish President Tarja Halonen. Opening speakers include Paavo Arhinmäki, Minister for Sports and Culture (Finland), Aasrud Rigmor, Minister of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs (Norway), Erik Ullenhag, Minister of Integration (Sweden) and Anina Ciuciu, a Roma author from France/Romania. Representing the Council of Europe, which is co-organising the conference together with the Finnish government, will be Jeroen Schokkenbroek, the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma issues. The European Union will be represented by Jan Truszcynski, Director General of the EU Commission's Directorate General of Education.

Final report [ + Romani version]

More information

Working documents

Documents in Romani

3rd International Roma Women’s Conference

Granada, 23-25 October 2011

The third international meeting took place in Granada, Spain, on 23-25 October 2011 and brought together Romnia from different continents (Europe, Asia, America and Africa) who shared their ideas and experiences. Issues on the agenda included the participation of Roma women in the planning, implementation and evaluation of policies developed with Roma women, access to education for girls, sexual diversity, harmful practices in the media and cultural values and identity.

2nd International Roma Women's Conference: “I am a European Roma woman”

Athens, 11 - 12 January 2010

Tackling main challenges that Romani women and their communities face today was the focus of the international conference ''I am a European Roma woman'', in Athens on 11-12 January. The conference discussed changing negative perceptions of Roma women in the media, eliminating harmful practices such as early marriages and forced sterilization as well as promoting entrepreneurship and economic empowerment of Roma women.

1st International Roma Women’s Conference: "Our Voices Heard"

Stockholm, 2-3 December 2007

The 1st International Roma Women’s Rights Conference, in Stockholm, on 3-4 December 2007, provided a forum for discussion about the challenges Romani women face. It was an opportunity to share information and good practices between policymakers and Romani Women's Networks across Europe. It was co-organised by the Swedish Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality, the Council of Europe and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. The core themes of the conference were: Romani Women's Rights, Combating Trafficking, Respecting Reproductive Rights and Roma Access to Public Health Care. One of the outcomes of the conference was the Declaration of Romani Women Networks at the international level where they expressed their concerns over the persistent discrimination and exclusion of the Romani communities and called upon governments to adopt appropriate policies and measures to effectively address the multiple discrimination faced by Romani women, and ensure the full implementation of Council of Europe Human Rights Conventions and Charters, United Nations Covenants and Conventions and EU directives.

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) organised a Roundtable with Romani women networks the day before the start of the conference “Our Voices Heard”. The aim was to initiate a debate on the conference themes. The participants expressed concern about the increased anti-Roma attitudes on the part of politicians and citizens across Europe, and the inaction of some Council of Europe Member States in acknowledging and addressing the forced sterilisation of Romani women. They also noted the increasing numbers of cases of forced evictions of Roma families, especially in winter, and the inaction of central administrations in ending this illegal practice. The Roundtable participants adopted 27 recommendations, which were later on echoed in the conference working groups.