Our organization works closely with local Roma community, Municipality administration and the Municipal Council in empowerment of the Local Roma community representatives to participate equally in the decision making process. Although the electoral system in the Republic of Bulgaria is democratic and doesn’t consists any restrictions towards participation of minorities, Roma are underrepresented in the high levels of the Government Administration. Since the democratic changes start in the country number of elected Roma Parliamentary Members have varied from three to one, several international reports and national surveys show us that Roma feels their interests underrepresented in the high levels of the Governmental administration. Despite these shortcomings on the governmental level, Roma participation on the Municipality level had arisen significantly. In different Municipalities were elected Roma as City Councilors, Roma were appointed as Mayor envoys to represent the Mayor in Roma neighborhoods; different structures on a Municipality level such as public councils or advisory committees aimed at involves Roma in the decision making process concerning some of the Roma related issues were established and have proved their efficiency in solving local Roma problems.
Believing in that the bottom-up human rights based approach is the most efficient one in creation of opportunities for solving Roma everyday problems in sustainable manner, based our confidence on existed successful practices and on international and regional acts and strategic documents on human rights standards such as Lund recommendations; the Framework Convention for protection of the rights of national minorities; European Charter of Local Self-Government; UN Declaration for the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities; International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and General Recommendations 27 of CERD and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, we do support implementation of the minority human right to equal participation in the decision making process.
In December 2006 we have implemented a project supported by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights /UN OHCHR provided funds and a facilitator for the community workshop, Mrs. Fiona Blyth Kubota human rights officer from minorities and indigenous unit, Research and right to development branch within the OHCHR/.
Main goal of the project was to empower the local Roma community to cooperate on equal basis with the Local authorities and to start a process of supporting the effective participation of the Romaminority into the mainstream society and local life. Focus is on empowering Roma communities for the effective participation in the decision making process on the Municipality levels as the structures of the local authorities are the closest ones to citizens’ daily problems. Municipalities are involved and responsible in solving issues relating to such matters as housing, unemployment, health, education, culture events and social services. Development knowledge of how to involve themselves in the decision making processes and in the monitoring of the decisions developed will assist in improving the situation of the local Roma minority. Furthermore creation of such a practice may support the multiplication of results in other municipalities to ensure minorities’ inclusion into the mainstream society, which is a duty of State including the obligation emanating from the UN Minorities Declaration that calls for the consideration of appropriate measures so that persons belonging to minorities may participate fully in the economic progress and development in their country.
Implemented community workshop with leaders representatives of local Roma community in achieving that goal have led to establishment of an advisory and a consultative body (Municipality Council on Ethnic and Demographic Issues) to the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Polski Trambesh to offer a forum for consultation with the Municipal Council on developing, monitoring and evaluating local programs and strategies targeting Roma. Thus to serve as providing an avenue for the local Roma not only to present their existing needs and problems to the Municipal Council but also to influence and monitor local long-term policies and strategies towards Roma.
Since its creation the major achievement of this council was change of the Municipal policy towards Roma minority in the Municipality of Polski Trambesh. For the first time local Roma issues were set up as one of the priorities in the Municipality policy, acknowledging that actions by the Municipality authorities, including budget allocations, are needed to ensure Roma integration. In the beginning of 2009 the Municipal Council with support by the Municipality Mayor decides to allocate 700 000 leva (about 350 000 euro) for activities towards Roma minority within the Municipality. First Municipal project will be improving the condition of a local children garden in Radanovo village (one with the largest Roma population within the municipality villages) and recovering of local school in Petko Karavelovo village, which is attended mostly by Roma children.
