Over the past two years, the Council of Europe and the European Commission have been implementing a new phase of the ROMED 2 program and the Roma Mediation program in Ukraine as part of the implementation of the ‘Strategy of Social Protection and Integration into Ukrainian Society of the Roma National Minority for the Period up to 2020.’ These programs are aimed at promoting the integration of Roma communities at the local level.
The implementation of these programs focuses on enhancing cooperation between Roma mediators and state authorities and local self-government bodies, which play a crucial role in ensuring real improvements in the lives of Roma communities through the implementation of measures in key areas such as education, housing, employment, healthcare, and social services. These directions have been recognized by the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and other stakeholders, including local authorities.
As part of this effort, the State Institute of Family and Youth Policy, in collaboration with the NGO ‘Chirikli,’ is conducting a short-term training seminar for employees of structural units of district state administrations who frequently interact with the Roma population in the course of their duties.
In the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv city, a joint activity agreement was signed within the framework of the Council of Europe’s ROMED 2 program. On behalf of the Darnytskyi District State Administration, the agreement was signed by the head of the administration, Hennadii Lvovych Synsov, and on behalf of the Council of Europe, by the coordinator for Roma issues, Zemfira Kondur.
It’s no coincidence that a pilot project for training city officials of Kyiv has been launched in our district. There will be a total of 3 such training sessions, involving nearly 50 individuals from different districts of the city.”
