With the support of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, online consultations were held within the framework of the project “Support to the Reform of the Legislative Framework on National Minorities and Strengthening the Resilience of National Minorities and Roma in Ukraine – Phase II.”
The project aims to strengthen the protection of the rights of national minorities in line with Council of Europe standards and European Union requirements.
The meeting brought together representatives of Roma civil society organizations and international institutions. The consultations provided an open platform to discuss key challenges currently faced by the Roma community, as well as opportunities for further cooperation.
Key issues discussed
During the consultations, participants raised a number of priority issues, including:
— protection of the rights of Roma internally displaced persons and access to social support;
— development of the Roma youth movement;
— monitoring compliance with Roma rights;
— protection of cultural rights;
— systemic discrimination against the Roma community.
Position of the Chirikli Foundation
Olena Levchyshyna, representative of the Chirikli Foundation, emphasized that issues related to the rights of the Roma national community are often “dissolved” within broader policies on national minorities. Universal approaches fail to address the specific barriers faced by Roma communities, which creates the need for targeted and dedicated instruments specifically designed for Roma.
It was also highlighted that the role of Roma civil society organizations is crucial for protecting community rights, yet their involvement remains insufficiently institutionalized.
The Chirikli Foundation expresses its gratitude to the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine for facilitating this important dialogue and for concrete steps aimed at strengthening the protection of Roma rights in line with Council of Europe standards.
We also thank our colleagues from Roma organizations for their openness, solidarity, and joint efforts to address the challenges faced in everyday human rights work, including the
Office of the Ukrainian Ombudsman, Rada Kalandiia, and the Roma Human Rights Centre.
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