The second Advisory Group Meeting of the ROMACTED II, in Serbia, was held in Belgrade on 23 November 2023. Over 50 participants from 13 partner Cities and Municipalities, Ministries, international and civil society organisations, and other partners participated in the meeting.

The event was opened by Marina Vasić, ROMACTED II Programme Manager from the Council of Europe, Sofija Osmanović, Head of the Department for Improving the Position of Roma within the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of the Republic of Serbia, and Mirjana Maksimović, Programme Manager from the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia.

One of the highlights of this meeting was the presentation of the progress in 2023 by Svetlana Stefanović, the Focal Point of ROMACTED II programme in Serbia, representing the BFPE Foundation for responsible society.

The Programme’s implementation, as well as discussion and initiatives presented during the meeting directly resonate with the key pillars of the Council of Europe Strategic Action Plan for Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020-2025).

Presentation of the draft Guidelines for Roma responsible budgeting at the local level delivered by the draft author and thematic consultant Tibor Domonkoš, opened fruitful discussion on the topic and will be continued through online consultations with relevant stakeholders and partners.

The afternoon sessions continued to enrich the dialogue with presentations on complementary actions, including the third phase of the Roma Integration project by Dragana Jovanović Arijas, Project Officer for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Analysis on presentation of Roma history and culture in curricula and textbooks in Serbia by Jadranka Ivković, Director of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) in Serbia. This initiative aligns with the Council of Europe Strategic Action Plan’s emphasis on promoting a more inclusive education system that respects and integrates diverse cultural perspectives, as we all the implementation of the Committee of Ministers Recommendation on the Inclusion of Roma history in school curricula and teaching material. Moreover, the Committee of Experts on Roma and Traveller Issues of the Council of Europe (ADI-ROM), has been tasked to prepare a capacity-building programme and tools supporting the implementation of the aforementioned recommendation.

A separate segment of the meeting was devoted to the presentation of the ROMACTED small grants scheme, moderated by Časlav Ninković from the Council of Europe Roma and Travellers Team. This scheme echoes the Council of Europe’s goal of supporting community-led initiatives, empowering Roma communities to drive positive change and highlights the importance of supporting grassroots projects that directly impact and empower Roma communities. Results achieved in partner cities and municipalities will be separately presented in 2024.

Wrapping up the event Marina Vasić delivered the final address and presented the work plan for 2024, outlining the strategic steps to further advance the programme's objectives in the upcoming year.

Check out the photos from the event here, and ROMACTED at a Glance here.