Government of the Republic of Serbia
Social inclusion seminar: Roma issues in Serbia was held on June 22, 2011 in Klub narodnih poslanika, Tolstojeva Street 2. The Conference was jointly organized by the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the European Commission. The event was attended by Mr. Pierre Mirel, Director of Directorate C in the Directorate General for Enlargement of the European Commission.
This event is organized at a moment when the European continent has focused strongly on the issue of improving the status of the Roma. The purpose of the seminar was to underscore the relevance that the issue of social inclusion and poverty reduction among the Roma has gained in the European Union and throughout Europe during 2010. Having this in mind, as is the case with the EU member states, the enlargement countries should also contribute to setting explicit and ambitious targets in the field of employment, education and poverty reduction for disadvantaged communities, in particular the Roma.
Efforts to improve the socio-economic status of the Roma in Europe have gained a new momentum since 2010 with a number of policy initiatives and events, including the European Commission Communication on the social and economic integration of the Roma in Europe as of April 2010. This issue is recognized in the relevant documents of the European Commission and the European Parliament (EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies (COM/2011/0173 final)), as well as international organizations such as the Council of Europe (Strasbourg Declaration on Roma (CM(2010)133 final)). The issue of improving the status of the Roma and their integration represents one of the three priorities of the presidency of the Republic of Hungary over the EU Council in the first half of 2011.
The Social inclusion seminar: Roma issues in Serbia, which was attended by the representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, the National Council of the Roma National Minority, civil society organizations and international organizations, covered the key issues relating to improving the status of the Roma that have already been recognized in the current Strategy for Improving the Status of the Roma in the Republic of Serbia and its action plans, as well as the budgets of the competent institutions in the Republic of Serbia. Furthermore, participants discussed the priorities and challenges for advancing the social inclusion of the Roma, as well as the opportunities for sharing in the costs of the implementation of the relevant activities.
Click here to download the Seminar Agenda (.doc).
Download the presentations from the Social inclusion seminar: Roma issues in Serbia.
Session: Education – Actions taken towards improving the status of the Roma
– Tinde Kovac Cerovic, State Secretary, Ministry of Education and Science
– Marija Aleksandrovic, Associate, Vojvodina Province Secretariat for Education, Administration and National Communities
– Judita Reichenberg, director, UNICEF Serbia
– Bozidar Nikolic, Pedagogical Assistant from Kragujevac, mentor for inclusive education within DILS Program
Session: Employment – Activities carried out and problems encountered at national and local level
– Milena Prica, Ministry of Economy and Regional Development
– Dusko Jovanovic, Director, Office for Roma Inclusion, Vojvodina Province Secretariat for Labour, Employment and Gender Equality
Session: Social and health care (including child begging and domestic violence)
– Elizabet Paunovic, State Secretary, Ministry of Health
– Marjan Muratovic, Executive Director, Center for Education and Health JAK-ER, Leskovac
– Dorit Nitzan, Head of WHO Country Office, Serbia
– Ana Sacipovic, Coordinator, SOS Hotline in Romani language
Session: Housing – Relocation/legalisation of Roma settlements
– Svetlana Ristic, Head of Housing Unit, Ministry of Environment, Mining and Spatial Planning
– Zlata Vuksanovic Macura, Expert, Society for Improvement for Local Roma Communities
Session: Freedom of Movement and Re-admission – difficulties and possible solutions
– Ivan Gerginov, Assistant Commissioner, Commissariat for Refugees
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