PAIRS – Round table: “We make the difference: The power to decide what happens with the Roma in our country”

Malteser Albania, the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth and the Local Economic Development Agency – TEULEDA, as partners of the project “Effective Programmes for the active Integration/Inclusion of the Roma in South-East Europe” (PAIRS), financed by the European Commission through Transnational Cooperation Programme for the South-East Europe, held on 26 November 2013, in Elbasan, the round table: We make the difference: The power to decide what happens with the Roma in our country”; PAIRS – Support for Programming 2014 – 2020″.

This round table and others which will follow at the end of 2013 and at the beginning of 2014, are organized considering the main objectives of the PAIRS project to reduce social exclusion of Roma in South-East European countries, exploring and using the best practices of civil society organizations and local public authorities, as well as reflecting lessons learned from these approaches in future policies and programs which will be implemented at national and regional level, with a broader participation of representatives of civil society organizations and public administration.
The discussion of the round table was focused on main fields of Roma inclusion, as they are defined in the European Programme 2014 – 2020:

 

 

1. Infrastructure and housing
2. Employment
3. Health
4. Inclusion and Social Protection
5. Education
6. Cultural heritage

 

There were 40 participants in this round table: representatives of the Region, Municipality, Education Directory, Roma organizations, civil society organizations, experts on Roma issues from the administration / local and national authorities and other interested people or people who are dealing with Roma issues.
The representatives of the civil society organizations and public administration brought also examples of good practices, after which recommendations derived for each respective area.
Elbasan was the first city selected for the round table, as it has a high percentage of Roma and Egyptian population, respectively 3600 Roma and 5000 Egyptians.