Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

The Director of the Office for Human and Minority Rights, Suzana Paunović, addressed the participants of the conference “Role and Importance of the Cooperation of Civil Society Organizations and Local Self-Governments in Implementing Roma Policies” on 19 November, noting that the policy of the Government of the Republic of Serbia is dedicated to the improvement of the situation and status of the Roma, as evidenced by the normative frameworks, as well as numerous initiatives. “However, to be able to speak of the success of national policies requires implementation at the local level, and we recognize civil society organizations and local self-governments as our key partners”, emphasized Paunović.

“Our goal is the inclusion of as many Roma civil society organizations as possible in the drafting and adoption of local action plans. It is important that they are capable of recognizing their importance and role and to impact the priorities of plans in their communities, as well as to be active participants in their implementation in practice, as well as to discover and strengthen their role in all these processes”, noted Paunović.

The conference was organized by the Office for Human and Minority Rights in Cooperation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia, as part of the project “We Are Here Together – European Support for Roma Inclusion”, financed by European Union funds. The conference gathered representatives of 20 municipalities and towns and representatives of civil society organizations, aiming to improve cooperation at the local level in regards to the adoption and implementation of Roma policies at the local level.

The project “We Are Here Together – European Support for Roma Inclusion” was created due to the need to provide full support for the implementation of the Strategy for the Improvement of the Status of Roma in areas such as access to basic rights, civic participation, education, healthcare and social protection, adequate housing, etc.

Source: www.ljudskaprava.gov.rs