Civil opinions on the Hungarian Roma Strategy

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The observations aim to increase the acceptance of the 10 year Roma Strategy among professionals, and provide assistance for a more effective implementation of the Strategy, regardless of change of governments in power. The document contains expert observations in the field of human rights, education, employment, housing and culture, as well as the equal opportunities of Roma women and stakeholders’ participation. At the end of our document there is a separate chapter dealing with the problems related to the distribution of EU funds, which are meant to be the primary source of the Strategy’s implementation.

The work has been initiated by Partners Hungary Foundation with the support of the Open Society Foundations. The document was sent by the Budapest Secretariat of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, inter alia, to the relevant bodies of the European Commission, the Office of the Minister of State for Social Inclusion of the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice, as well as the National Roma Self-government.

Key findings were discussed on 21 February in the NGO consultation initiated by the European Commission, and presented by participating organisations to representatives of the Commission, the Hungarian government and the National Development Agency on 6 March, at the high level meeting „The role of EU finds in the promotion of Roma integration” organised by the Commission.

The aim of participating NGOs is to maintain, widen and further develop the cooperation of the participating civil organisations throughout the implementation period of the 10 years’ long Strategy; and on the basis of such a co-operation, to follow up the implementation of the Strategy and will provide regular feedback to the European Commission and the given Hungarian government in power.

Organisations preparing the analysis:

Amnesty International Hungary (human rights)

Autonomia Foundation (employment, housing, distribution of EU funds)

Habitat for Humanity Hungary (housing)

Hungarian Women’s Lobby (gender issues)

Legal Defence Bureau for National and Ethnic Minorities (human rights)

Polgár Foundation (employment)

Romano Instituto (culture)

Romaversitas (education)

Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (human rights)

Metropolitan Research Institute (housing)

Supporting organisation:

RomNet-Média Foundation

The drafting of the report was coordinated by:

Partners Hungary Foundation

Decade of Roma Inclusion Secretariat Foundation