Two days of the National Forum on Roma Strategy Implementation: Valuing Diversity were truly extraordinary! Our team has been preparing for this event for a long time, and now it’s time to reflect on the results.

We are sincerely happy that we were able to hold this event at such a high level, thanks to the support of our partners: Oxfam Center for Disaster Philanthropy Mercy Corps CARE UN Women Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) UNDP Ukraine UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency East Europe Foundation (EEF) Global Fund for Children.

This important step in our advocacy work was initiated by the President of Voice of Romni, Anzhelika Bielova. During her opening speech, she emphasized the key role of Roma organizations in humanitarian response and assistance to the war-affected population. In 2022-2024, we supported nearly 106,000 individuals. Other Roma organizations helped thousands more, and that is incredibly valuable!

“We must not leave such tremendous achievements on the ground unheard but ensure that the voices of the Roma community are heard at all levels, including internationally, so that the needs of Roma men and women are included in humanitarian response plans and Ukraine’s recovery efforts, ensuring that the Roma community is not only heard but also involved in decision-making processes,” said Anzhelika Bielova.

The first day of the National Forum on Roma Strategy Implementation: Valuing Diversity brought together influential voices from government, international organizations, and civil society. Speakers shared their expertise and perspectives on the implementation of the Roma Strategy, highlighting key challenges and opportunities. We are proud to have gathered leaders who share our values and commitment to change. Among them were Natalka Cmoc, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine; Rémi Duflot, Chargé d’Affaires of the EU Delegation to Ukraine; Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights; Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security; Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine; Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine; Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada; Dr. Iryna Postolovska, Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine for European Integration; Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy; Natalia Karbowska, Director of Strategic Development at the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, and many more. Their support and expertise are crucial for driving systemic changes and ensuring equal opportunities for the Roma community in Ukraine.

The next day, productive group work took place, where we collaboratively developed a mechanism for establishing a National Coordination Platform to effectively implement the Roma Strategy at the local level. This involves cooperation between the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, international organizations, relevant ministries, and regional coordination groups. These groups will be led by representatives of the Roma community and will include staff from regional offices of international organizations, relevant departments of regional state administrations, and city councils.

Next steps involve implementing the solutions we have developed. Roma organizations will meet with the UN Country Team to present their recommendations to UN agencies. We also need to form coordination groups and integrate recommendations for improving existing regional action plans, ensuring they are contextualized and reflect the needs of Roma communities at the local level. National coordination of working group activities and annual national meetings are planned. This will help track progress in the implementation of the Roma Strategy.

The forum became an important platform for uniting the efforts of all stakeholders to improve the living conditions of the Roma community in Ukraine. Therefore, we believe that real changes will take place for the full integration of Roma into the processes of rebuilding and democratic development of our country.

@voice.of.romni Спасибі всім за підтримку під час важливого для «Голосу Ромні» заходу — «Національного форуму з реалізації Ромської Стратегії. Цінуючи різноманіття». 🙏🏽 ✊🏽 Попереду — втілення напрацьованих рішень! #НаціональнийфорумзреалізаціїРомськоїСтратегіїЦінуючиРізноманіття #ГолосРомні #ромки #роми #ромськіжінки ♬ оригінальний звук – Voice of Romni / Голос Ромні