Prishtina, 18 September, 2024
Under the patronage of the German government in cooperation with the Council of Europe, the fifth ministerial meeting devoted to the integration of Roma in the framework of the Berlin Process was held. This meeting aims to exchange experiences, analyze the results achieved, as well as identify challenges in the implementation of the Poznan Declaration, whose main goal is to improve the living conditions of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.
At this discussion table, which was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister for Human Rights and Minority Affairs, Emilija Rexhepi, together with the ministers of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Serbia, the inclusion of the Roma community was discussed , Ashkali and Egyptian, in different spheres of life which constitute employment, education, housing and access to health services for these communities.
The participants had the opportunity to become familiar with the challenges these communities face in our country and the government’s support measures and programs aimed at overcoming them.
Deputy Prime Minister Rexhepi emphasized that the Government of Kosovo has taken important steps in that direction – among them the creation of mechanisms for promoting employment within public services, including the security, health and education sectors. The improvement of housing conditions was singled out as one of the main successes of Kosovo and the government. Kosovo is the only country in the region that has effectively used funds for the construction and improvement of housing for the Roma community.
In front of the participants, Deputy Prime Minister Rexhepi also spoke about the important progress that has been made in the field of education and training, for pupils and students from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, for which communities the Government of the Republic has offered scholarships. In addition, health services were also offered to the children of these communities through the mobile vaccination campaign in 16 municipalities, within the framework of health protection. She also singled out as an achievement and success the creation of the platform for reporting cases of discrimination, www.roportodikrminimin.org, which enables the direct follow-up and resolution of discrimination reports. Progress has also been noted in the inclusion of Roma in the digital transformation and the digital agenda, the green agenda and infrastructural projects in the municipalities where they live.
At the end of the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Rexhepi highlighted that within the framework of the implementation of the Poznan Declaration, Kosovo has achieved significant progress in its implementation, and this has been achieved through concrete measures in the fields of employment, education, housing and the fight against discrimination. She expressed her thanks and gratitude to all partners who have contributed to the improvement of the life of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian community in Kosovo.
Last modified: September 19, 2024