Results Achieved
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SPECIAL ISSUE Campaign of Roma organizations created preconditions for directing Structural funds resources for Roma integration in Bulgaria AMALIPE CENTER FOR INTERETHNIC DIALOGUE AND TOLERANCE Veliko Turnovo 5000, 2/204 Hristo Botev Str., p.o.box.113 Tel/Fax: (062) 600 – 224, 00359 888 681 134, [email protected] The Campaign TABLE OF CONTENTS In May 2006 Center Amalipe and Open Society The Campaign 1 Institute, Sofia, started an advocacy campaign for Strengths (Results achieved) 1 including major issues related with Roma Weaknesses 3 integration in the strategic documents regulating Opportunities 4 the EU Structural funds absorptio n in Bulgaria. In Threats 4 the following months 46 Roma NGOs and a Major participants 4 number of Roma experts joined the campaign. Supporters 5 Overcoming serious difficulties the campaign Stages of the campaign 5 achieved almost all its goals and brought to establishing the majority of the necessary Steps ahead 7 preconditions for dir ections resources from the The cooperation needed 8 Structural funds to Roma integration activities in Appendices 9 Bulgaria. The success of the campaign and its importance for the development of the civil society as in a special letter by Thomas Bender, head of in Bulgaria in general has been acknowledged by unit “ESF, Monitoring of Corresponding National the Bulgarian Minister of Financ e Plamen Policies I, Coordination Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Oresharski during the ceremony for signing the Ne therlands, Employment, Social Affairs and Equal National Strategic Reference Framework, as well Opportunities DG STRENGTHS (RESULTS ACHIEVED) : As a result of the advocacy campaign important Human Resource Development strategic documents contain the necessary Operational Program preconditions for binding European funds resources with the process of Roma integration, for This program has been of highest interest for the devo ting significant financial resource and political campaign and at present it contains practically all and administrative engagement for activities suggestions made by the Roma organizations. At directed to Roma integration and for the present this is the Pr ogram which contains participation of the Roma community and the civil measures and indicators for Roma integration in the society in general in managing, implementing, and most consistent way. monitoring activitie s financed by the European Within the campaign the following has been funds. achieved: Continues on p.2 Page 2 Roma issues and the EU strategic documents Results achieved : the HRD OP 1. Roma are defi ned as specific target group in three operations directed to Roma integration priority axes of the Program related to 6. NGOs are included as possible leadin g employment, health care, and social protection; beneficiaries in the “program extensions” which 2. There are six operations where Roma are a are being prepared now. specific target group which is the main target 7. A number of concrete and accurate texts group of the operations: two in the field of connected with the socio-economic and employment, one in education, two in social educational situation of the Roma community in protection, and one in health care. Bulgaria are included in the Program. 3. The Program contains a specific chapter “Areas 8. A representative of the Roma organizations of assistance with regard to the Roma (Deyan Kolev) in included in the Monitoring community” Committee of HRD OP and participated in the 4. The Program contains qualitative and preliminary meeting of the Committee on June 18, quantitative indicators for assessing t he impact 2007. on the Roma community: the table of indicators is part of the chapter “Areas of assistance with regard to the Roma community” 5. NGOs are included as beneficiaries in all Results achieved : The National Strategic Reference Framework The Framework is a broader strategic document compared 1. Including a special chapter “Roma to the sector Operation progr ams. It tracks the most serious minority” problems of the social and economic development of the 2. Including Roma as a specific target group of country and the general trends for their solving for the next intervention and objectiv e reflection of the seven years. In this respect the inclusion of the most aching situation and the problems of the Roma issues concerning the Roma community and dire ctions for community (recognizing also the their solving was a must in order to have them as concrete discrepancy between official census data detailed operations and measures in the specific and real situation) Operational programs. 3. Taking into consideration the most aching The final version of the NSRF satisfactory reflects the problems of the Roma community and major problems before Roma integration in Bulgaria and mainstreaming them in all s pheres: pro vides opportunities for targeted actions in the detailed education, health, social sphere, housing, IT, Operational programs. and so on. The following results have been achieved within the 4. Acknowledging all the key documents campaign: directed to Roma integration and adopted by the Bulgarian government (the Framework «Written comments were received on the NSRF from program for equal integration of Roma in Roma organizations such as Amalipe, especially Bulgarian society, the Nation al Action Plan contributing to the sources of information used. In for the Decade of Roma Inclusion, the addition over 45 Roma organizations have provided National program for improving the housing formally and informally comments on the different parts of the text of the Human Resources Development conditions of Roma and so on). Operational Programme. In conformity with the 5. Explicit acknowledgment within the partnership principle the comments and document of the efforts of Center Amalipe recommendations have been reviewed and about 90 % of and the other Roma organizations which them have been accepted and integrated in the have organize d and carried out the programme.» (стр .195) campaign. Roma issues and the EU strategic documents Page 3 Results achieved : Strengthening the Roma participation and National report on the strategies for social protection and the influence of Roma movement social inclusion Within the campaign the following has been Similar to the NSRF the document has a high level of abstractness. It achieved: draws the major directions of development for the social incl usion. 1. Broad Roma representation of more than 30 Applying the requirement for consistency characteristic for the EU organizations working together for elaborating a strategic documents all national strategic documents (the NSRF, OPs, common Roma platform has been created. etc) should follow the direction drawn by the National report on the 2. There is already a precedent: the requirements strategies for social protection and social inclusion. of a coalition of Roma organizations which are not At present the National report on the strategies for social protection politically engaged have been accepted by the and social inclusion satisfactory reflects the major problems before institutions – 90% of the suggestions of the Roma integration in Bulgaria combining targeting и and campaign have been included in the NSRF (this is mainstreaming approach and provides significant resources for solving pointed also in the document itself) and HRD OP some of the most aching problems of the Roma community which proved that Roma organizations and activists Within the campaign the following has been achieved: could influence the decision-making process. 1. Including vulnerable ethnic minorities (with special focus on Roma) 3. The Roma organizations included in the as a major target group; campaign turned to be the most active 2. Defining the “Social inclusion of vulnerable ethnic minorities” as representa tives of the civil society in Bulgaria one of the four major priorities; including the problems of Roma participating in the process of preparation of the community in two other priorities (“equal participation on the labor strategic documents. The example of the Roma market” and “equal access”); NGOs has been taken over by other groups such as 3. Including proper and adequate measures and indicators in the the gender organizations, disabled people, and so on. field of employment and social protection, education, health care and 4. The active role and the constructive position living conditions in the priority “social inclusion of the most of the Roma organizations have been acknowledged vulnerable minority groups”; by the Bulgarian institutions 4. Including of detailed and correct information about Roma community issues in the analysis of the overall situation 5. The results achieved in the National report have been successfully used later in the campaign for including Roma issues in the NSRF and HRD OP on the basis of the requirement for consistency. Weaknesses : 1. A significant part of the Roma suggestions have adopted in July 2006 and was not object of the campaign. It not been included in Regional Development Operational allows limited functions of the NGOs (only observers with Program, Administrative capacity OP and the National advisory voice); it does not imperatively require the Plan for Development of Rural Areas have not been taken participation of NGO representatives and does not point out into consideration: within the campaign requirements for clear mechanism for electing such representatives. including measures and indicators directed to Roma have Nevertheless, the Decree provides opportunity