USAID Announces New Roma Initiative in
Central and Eastern Europe
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – The U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) has announced a four-year, $2.7 million
cooperative agreement with the international organization
Partners for Democratic Change to improve the conditions
of Roma, an indigenous displaced people, in the Czech Republic,
Hungary and Slovakia. This program is intended to increase
Roma participation in economic, political and social activities.
“From my conversations with Roma in a number of countries
in Central and Southeastern Europe, it is obvious that they
prize their freedom above all else,” said USAID Assistant
Administrator for Europe and Eurasia Dr. Kent R. Hill. “Yet,
their isolation and lack of education often imprisons them
in cultural and social ghettos. This new USAID initiative
has the potential to advance the long overdue process of
fuller integration into the society in which Roma live.”
Approximately seven to nine million Roma live throughout
Europe, with 70 percent concentrated in Central and Eastern
Europe and the former Soviet Union. The poor living conditions
experienced by a large part of the Roma population and the
continuing decline of those conditions constitute a major
challenge in the transition of formerly socialist economies.
While there has been significant foreign and domestic assistance
aimed at Roma, systemic political, social, and economic exclusion
persists in the region and has impeded the integration of
Roma in all spheres of life. Addressing these challenges
is central to the success of economic transition and is an
integral part of the process of building cohesive and inclusive
societies in the region.
The Roma Support Program’s goals are to expand access
to services and leadership opportunities at the community
level and to contribute to a change in perception through
public awareness programs to counter discrimination. The
program also aims to produce models of integration that can
be replicated in communities within the Czech Republic, Hungary,
and Slovakia, with the possibility of applying them in other
countries as well. The three countries are expected to join
the European Union in the near future. However, the lack
of equal access to services for the Roma and their insufficient
political representation and leadership will have a direct
impact on the ability of the three countries to conform to
standards for minority rights in the EU. USAID hopes to leverage
its resources to work with governments and donors to break
the cycle of discrimination and exclusion.
Partners for Democratic Change is an international organization
committed to building sustainable local capacity to advance
civil society and a culture of change and conflict management
worldwide. Since 1989, Partners has developed vital change
and conflict management skills and built consensus on
local issues in over 50 countries.
Over the past 14 years, Partners centers across Central
and Eastern Europe have pioneered successful models of Roma
integration at the local level, empowering Roma leaders with
a range of participation and conflict management skills,
building the capacity of local organizations to advocate
for Roma-related issues, creating sustainable community structures
that promote ethnic conciliation, and expanding access to
services for Roma.
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