Government Cooperation within the Decade of Roma Inclusion

BUDAPEST, Hungary, and Bratislava, Slovakia, 7 August 2006 - The Decade of Roma Inclusion is an initiative supported by the Open Society Institute, the World Bank, and many other international institutions. However the responsibility for enacting reform lies with the eight governments that have committed themselves to Roma inclusion in the context of their national plans.

As a recent nine-country survey made clear, stubbornly strong prejudices against the Roma can stand in the way of comprehensive Roma reform. But Hungary and Slovakia provide examples of how, to varying degrees, countries have been successful in carrying out the mandate of the Decade.

SLOVAKIA

Slovakia’s Roma program is handled by the Office of the Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities under the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for European Integration, Human Rights and Minorities. This Office, created in 1999, is an advisory body that can only make recommendations. It coordinates the work of all ministries involved with Roma, including those addressing the priority issues of education, employment, housing, and health, as well as marginalized and disadvantaged groups more generally.

In 2004 regional offices were established in areas where the concentrations of Roma are the highest. These regional branches employ primarily Roma and have set up working groups on various topics. "The Plenipotentiary's Office is very grassroots," emphasizes Sofia Daskalova, who works under the Plenipotentiary. "Roma participation and civil society is essential to the work we do."

Site visit in eastern Slovakia

In addition to funding Roma programs themselves, a key role for the Decade countries that are also European Union members is to help Roma NGOs and local governments apply for EU funding. Although the total amount of EU money reaching Roma NGOs is low, the Slovak government was successful in helping a group of NGOs receive an EU "Equal" grant for a program to improve Roma people’s prospects on the labor market. Thirty Roma are receiving training to improve their job and social skills.

The Plenipotentiary's Office is currently preparing a mid-term concept for 2007-2015, which will serve as the Slovak government's guidelines for the next decade and be included in the National Development Plan. However, Parliament will still have to approve it.

In Slovakia, Roma NGOs have the Plenipotentiary's support, as well as that of a few ministries, but progress toward social integration is painfully slow. Hungary, on the other hand, has more experience with passing Roma-related reforms, but the environment is still difficult.

HUNGARY

Roma duties are spread more evenly among Hungarian government ministries, but responsibility lays with the Roma Integration Department in the Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities. Since 2002, there have been Roma coordinators or commissioners in every other ministry as well. The Roma Integration Department oversees a committee composed of these various coordinators, and all recommendations for the government are submitted by this committee.

The Department received an Institutional Development Fund (IDF) grant in 2003 aimed at capacity building, with three goals: policy development; analysis, monitoring, and evaluation; and public awareness and communication.

A local Roma coordinator on Hungary's  Housing and Social Integration Project.

Hungary has been searching for solutions to Roma housing since the 1970s, but to no avail. In July 2005, thanks to the newfound strength the grant helped provide, the Department launched its most successful project yet, for Housing and Social Integration (see related article for more details). The project is helping improve Roma housing in 9 villages, and is also integrating education, employment, and health into the equation.

“In our projects, we strive to work closely with Roma citizens and self-governments,” says Andor Ürmös, Head of the Department for Roma Integration. “We want to have an impact on individuals.”

A current project that also promotes Roma inclusion is a joint effort of Hungarian Television (MTV) and an NGO to bring Roma into the media world. Before the project, there were next to no Roma in media, even behind the scenes. The idea was that if MTV hired five young Roma through a competitive process, they could bring their viewpoints into the mainstream media. If everything goes well, the Roma employees will keep their positions after the pilot phase is over.

The examples of Slovakia and Hungary indicate that cooperation at all levels of government and the involvement of average Roma citizens in the implementation of projects is critical to their success. However, without political appetite for comprehensive Roma reforms, progress will continue at a snail’s pace. Fortunately, there are enough dedicated individuals involved to ensure that progress does not come to a halt.