On 13th September, in the premises of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine, the Roma Political School has been launched.
“There are three key principles that are to guide you throughout your work now and in future – generosity, mutuality and ambitiousness” – stressed Marcos Andrade, from the Roma and Travelers team of the Council of Europe when referring to the participants of the School. “Only by believing in yourselves, being receptive and able to share, one can bring about a change in their communities”.
21 Roma civic activists are to undergo an intensive preparatory course on public and political participation with a focus on representation of Roma in the decision-making processes. The preparatory course is being implemented within the time frame of September-November 2019 which is shaped in a modular system with practical taskings.
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Yulia Kondur , President of the ICO “Roma Women Fund “Chiricli”, highlighted that “Representation of Roma needs to be scaled up and solidified as we already have strong and aspiring individuals across Ukraine”. In his turn, Dmytro Lubinets, head of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, assured that “Developing ethnic policy in Ukraine, focusing on representation of national minorities, is a priority for the Committee and needs to be prioritized on a broader scale.”
The Roma Political School is being implemented by the ICO “Roma Women Fund “Chiricli” and is supported by the Council of Europe.
