ROMACTED, “Promoting Good Governance and Roma Empowerment at Local Level”, joint European Union and the Council of Europe programme hosted a two-day preparatory workshop for development of the new Action Plan for Roma Social Inclusion 2021-2025 in close co-operation with the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees (MHRR). The aim of the workshop was to produce a working draft which will serve as a platform in the upcoming steps in the development of the new Action Plan.

The Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina for addressing the issues of Roma was officialy adopted in 2005, as a long-term process containing the basic principles for gradual improvement of the situation of the Roma in the country, while the specific meassuers are represented through the National Action Plan. The validity of the previos Action Plan 2017-2020 had lapsed, and thus there was a need to develop a new Action Plan.

Due to in-country COVID-19 restrictive measures, the process of development of the new Action Plan had to be adapted to the current situation. Consequently, Inter-departmental Working Groups and the Expert-Thematic Working Groups, established by the MHRR, in the field of (1) civil registration of Roma, antidiscrimination and antigypsyism, (2) housing, (3) employment, (4) health, (5) education meetings had to be postponed until September 2020.

Thus, this two-day event brought together the representatives of the MHRR and the Roma Board (as part of the Council of Ministries) who have taken the opportunity to reflect on the previous Action Plan, analyse and incorporate data from the local level and finally produce the first draft document with specific objectives, measures and activities addressing the current needs of the Roma.

In the upcoming period, the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees as the key institution, together with ROMACTED Programme, will continue its efforts in this process with an aim to have the Action Plan for Social Inclusion of Roma in BiH 2021-2025 officialy adopted by the end of 2020.