On September 13, 2016, a working meeting on the implementation of the “Alliance of Cities and Regions of Ukraine for the Development of Roma Initiatives” was held at the Museum of the History of Kyiv, organized by the Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration, H.V. Starostenko. The meeting was attended by various officials and representatives including Valeriy Anatoliyovych Tantsyura – Head of the Department for Children and Family Affairs of Kyiv City, Yaroslava Valeriyivna Kolobova – Director of the Kyiv City Center for Social Services for Family, Children, and Youth, Oleksandr Mykhaylovych Serhiyev – Chief Specialist of the Department of Education and Science, Youth, and Sports, Marcos Andrade – Program Manager of the ROMED/ROMED2 Program of the Council of Europe, Zemfira Anatoliyivna Kondur – Vice-President of the NGO “Chirikli”, Larisa Stanislavivna Kobelyanska – Social Affairs Expert of the NGO “Chirikli,” and others.
During the working meeting, the results of the ROMED program’s implementation in Ukraine were discussed, focusing on the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv and Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky. Additionally, there was a proposal for Kyiv to join the Alliance of Cities and Regions of Ukraine for the Development of Roma Initiatives, aiming to develop and implement a Local Action Plan for social protection and integration of the Roma minority in Kyiv, involving their representatives and international experts in these matters.
Larisa Stanislavivna Kobelyanska, an expert on social issues from the NGO “Chirikli,” emphasized the necessity of taking preventive measures to prevent conflicts in society based on national identity and to promote a tolerant attitude towards the Roma minority in Kyiv. She also mentioned the importance of inclusive education for Roma children and suggested conducting an experiment in Kyiv to create conditions for the education of Roma adults who have not completed secondary education.
The meeting also addressed the need to enhance not only the educational level of Roma families but also their parenting potential, and discussed issues related to social work with this category of people, as well as establishing contact and influencing lifestyles related to national peculiarities.
As a result of the meeting, representatives of the Council of Europe and the NGO “Chirikli” are preparing proposals for Kyiv’s entry into the Alliance for the Development of Roma Initiatives and the creation of a working group to develop a Local Action Plan for social protection and integration of the Roma minority in Kyiv. Additionally, discussions took place on locating Roma informal settlements within the city of Kyiv.
