The series of dialogues focused on developing recommendations for regional action plans under the Roma Strategy is nearing completion.

On December 23–24, a regional consultation took place in Zakarpattia. It was jointly organized by the team of Voice of Romni, UN Women in Ukraine, and the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, with financial support from the Governments of Sweden and Denmark.

“Our goal was to analyze and formulate recommendations that fully reflect the regional context and the specific needs of Roma people at the local level, as these needs vary significantly. There are different ethnic groups, the impact of the war, and all of this must be clearly reflected in the plans,” says Anzhelika Bielova, President of Voice of Romni.

In each region, we bring together representatives of Roma organizations and communities, public authorities, local self-government bodies, social services, and law enforcement agencies. This inclusive dialogue allows us to carefully examine local experiences, real needs, and existing challenges. Our key objective was to ensure that future regional action plans for implementing the Roma Strategy are relevant, effective, people-centered, and serve as practical guiding documents for professionals working with Roma communities.

During dialogues in frontline regions, much attention was paid to access to compensation mechanisms for destroyed housing. In Zakarpattia, however, the priorities were different. This region has the highest number of compact Roma settlements and the largest Roma population in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by russia, Zakarpattia has also become a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons. Therefore, our discussions focused on the situation of internally displaced people, living conditions in compact settlements, and long-standing systemic challenges in the region—such as discrimination in access to education and healthcare, social services, and employment.

As is customary in these dialogues, we jointly analyzed up-to-date regional data, reviewed real-life cases, and searched for practical and effective solutions. All proposals and recommendations were compiled into a comprehensive document.

It was important for us that the UN Women Ukraine representative, Programme Specialist on Gender in Humanitarian Action (GIHA), Fatih Resul Kilinc, presented funding opportunities offered by UN Women, as well as the procedures for allocating funds to civil society organizations, during the regional consultation. We value the fact that Roma civil society organizations had a direct dialogue with the donor structure and were able to learn firsthand about the allocation of financial resources, which will contribute to strengthening their organizational capacity.

This consultation was the sixth out of seven planned. One more region remains, after which we will share our next steps and plans.

We sincerely thank our partners for their consistent support of our organization and the Roma community across Ukraine.