05.03.2014Regional Conference on the development of Municipal Roma Integration Plans 2014-20 in Veliko Turnovo
On February 27, 2014 at the Hall of District Administration there was a meeting of the Regional Council on Ethnic and Integration Issues in Veliko Tarnovo and Conference for the development of Municipal plans for Roma Integration 2014-2020. The conference was a joint initiative of the Regional Administration - Veliko Tarnovo and Amalipe Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance. It was attended by representatives of the District Administration, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the municipalities of Veliko Tarnovo district, regional institutions, mayors, councilors and Roma activists from the region.
The conference was opened by the deputy governor Andrey Iliev. He expressed the readiness and willingness of the Regional Government to support the process of development of municipal plans for Roma integration in the new programming period 2014 2020. To make a real operational policy for the integration of minorities in Bulgaria there has to be good cooperation between the state institutions, NGOs and citizens - said deputy regional governor Andrei Iliev.
Roberto Marinov - Representative of the Managing Authority of "Human Resources Development" - presented opportunities for financing municipal projects for Roma integration in the new Operational Programme "Human Resources Development".Deyan Kolev - Chairman of Amalipe Center - provided draft example for Municipal plans for Roma integration and the basic steps in its preparation. This meeting is the first step of cooperation between institutions, NGOs and the Roma community in the preparation of quality municipal plans, and their funding - said Mr. Kolev. He ensured the support of the Center "Amalipe" and centers for community development in Pavlikem, Veliko Tarnovo, Strazhitza and Lyaskovetz for the development of new municipal integration plans.
In the following discussion, participants gave the basic ideas of the new plans and the process of their preparation. It has already begun training local Roma activists (held in December 2013) and discussions in all the large Roma neighborhoods (January 2014). Participants gave two months to develop and adopt new plans by the municipal councils. The developed model will be proposed to the responsible institutions and other municipalities in Bulgaria. The meeting was organized within the project of Amalipe Center, "World without Borders - Stara Zagora NGO , Association "New Road - Hayredin" and Roma Academy for Culture and Education - Sliven, funded by the Open Society Roma Initiatives - Budapest.
