Within the framework of the Joint EU-CoE ROMACTED Phase 2 Programme, Romalitico and the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje organised a series of five regional events on the occasion of 8 April 8. For the first time in the history of North Macedonia, all relevant stakeholders joined forces to unite local administration from different municipalities with the Roma community representatives from the 15 ROMACTED 2 partner municipalities.
- On 1 April, the first event was held in Berovo, jointly organised with the municipalities of Delchevo, Bitola and Prilep. Within this event, a panel discussion was launched on "Policies and measures for education for Roma children at the local level", which was attended by representatives of the abovementioned municipalities.
- On 4 April, the second event was held in Kicevo as a joint endeavour between the municipalities of Debar, Gostivar and Tetovo. A panel discussion on "Housing policies and measures for Roma" was organised for the occasion with the representatives from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, representatives of the Municipality of Kicevo and the Roma community members. At the end of the event, in cooperation with European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture - ERIAC, a short film "Proud Roma" was broadcast to the audience.
- On 5 April, the third event was held in Kocani and jointly carried out with the municipalities of Vinica and Stip. A discussion on "Employment policies and measures for Roma at the local level" took place with the representatives of the municipalities of Kocani and Stip and relevant municipal institutions.
- On 6 April, the fourth event was held in Shuto Orizari together with the municipalities of Kriva Palanka and Veles. The topic of discussion targeted the access to health services for Roma at the local level. Representatives of the community and the civil society sector participated in this panel discussion.
- On 7 April, the final event was held in Strumica where a panel discussion was held on “Discrimination as an obstacle to social inclusion” in the presence of the representatives of the Ombudsman office and the Commission for Protection against Discrimination. At the end of the event, in cooperation with European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture - ERIAC, a short film "Proud Roma" was broadcast to the audience.
Within the framework of the regional events, in addition to the panel discussions, educational sessions were organised on historical milestones for the Roma community in North Macedonia, as well as a cultural and artistic programme featuring children from high school, primary schools to kindergarten age, coming from the 15 partner municipalities. All five events hosted introductory speeches of the 15 mayors who on the occasion of April 8, who addressed the Roma community with the celebratory remarks.
The purpose of these events was to raise awareness among the Roma and non-Roma community about the problems and marginalisation faced by the Roma community at local level. All relevant stakeholders of the Programme were actively involved in the conceptualisation, delivery, and follow-up of the events.