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Description
The project includes the establishment and operation of a Task Force Unit composed of one Central Unit/Steering Committee and four regional Units (located in the main cities of the four regions with a high concentration of Roma populations: Attica, Central Macedonia, East Macedonia and Thrace and West Greece) that will engage with all relevant actors, including Roma, for the implementation of the current 5 -year “National Operational Action Plan for Roma Inclusion 2017-2021” and the next one covering the period 2022-2027.” The four regional Task Force Units shall be comprised of twenty (20) full time expert staff, including at least four (4) of Roma origin; setting up a monitoring mechanism which will get feedback from the local communities, empowering Roma citizens to involve and at the same time it will assist Municipalities and the Roma Branches of Community Centers to apply effectively Roma Inclusion policies and measures; training and coordination activities for relevant public authorities, Roma and civil society; training material, toolkits and guidelines for the capacity building of the relevant public authorities, and for the empowerment of Roma; monitoring of the implementation of the National Strategy for Roma Inclusion and diverse contributions to its evaluations; activities contributing to the empowerment of Roma people and communities. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) shall provide advice.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to create collaborations, coordination, and communication mechanisms and tools with an emphasis on the active participation and empowerment of Roma men and, above all, women and young Roma in the relevant processes to contribute (a) to strengthening, monitoring, and evaluation of the policies of the National Strategy and the Action Plan for the Social Inclusion of the Roma and (b) empowering the Roma to participate actively in the social integration process. In addition, the Task Force empowered Roma communities to actively participate in the planning, monitoring, and implementation of policies that affect them.
The PDP1 is aligned with the objectives of the EEA Grants Programme, which aims to promote social inclusion, reduce economic disparities, and strengthen cooperation between European countries. In particular, the programme emphasizes the need to support vulnerable groups, such as ethnic minorities and women, and to promote gender equality and empowerment. By focusing on Roma inclusion and empowerment, the predefined project 1 (PDP1) provided for the creation of a Task Force that developed partnerships, coordination mechanisms, tools, and communication that contributed to the overall objectives of the Grants by:(a) Strengthening, monitoring and evaluating the policies of the National Strategy and Action for inclusion of the Roma (NSSI-Roma), (b) Empowering the Roma to actively participate in the social integration process that affects them.
The Task Force was led by the Programme Partner of the "Social Inclusion and Empowerment of the Roma", that is the General Secretariat for Social Solidarity and Fight against Poverty, and consisted of a Central Unit/Steering Committee with the role of guiding and coordinating the four (4) Regional Groups(Regional Units) in the four (4) Regions with a relatively higher concentration of Roma populations (Attica, Central Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and Western Greece), according to elements of the NSSI-Roma (December 2011). In particular, a total of (25) Individual Project Lease Agreements were concluded with special partners, five (5) for the staffing of the Central Team and twenty (20) for the staffing of the Regional Teams, five (5) per Regional Team. Every regional task team had its own office. Three offices were leased in Patras (Western Greece), Thessaloniki (Central Macedonia), and Komotini (Eastern Macedonia and Thrace). The central task force was sited in Attica in the offices of the Ministry of social cohesion and Family Affairs. The Task Forse developed collaborations, coordination, and communication mechanisms and tools with an emphasis on the active participation and empowerment of Roma men and, above all, women and young Roma in the relevant processes to contribute (a) to strengthening, monitoring, and evaluation of the policies of the National Strategy and the Action Plan for the Social Inclusion of the Roma and (b) empowering the Roma to participate actively in the social integration process. In addition, the Task Force empowered Roma communities to actively participate in the planning, monitoring, and implementation of policies that affect them.
The task force worked every day in the field and took actions including:
- Daily and constant assistance to the competent departments for the social integration of the Roma regarding the monitoring and implementation of the actions of the National Strategy for the Social Integration of the Roma 2021-2030, such as assistance in the registration of the population, Local Action Plans, Monitoring Mechanism-system indicators.
- Organizing/coordinating work meetings with stakeholders, mainly Roma Branches, Schools at local level.
- Participation in meetings with co-competent bodies and services, at national and European level, in the context of planning, implementation and monitoring of the actions of the new National Strategy for the Social Integration of Roma 2021-2030, such as Governmental and Advisory Committees, thematic meetings of the EEp, synergies with relevant National Strategies such as the Child Guarantee Action Plan.
- supporting and empowering Roma in informative events and training related to the group''s subject to develop Gr partnerships and networking at local and regional level, mainly in collaboration with schools and Roma Branches.
- writing policy recommendations, educational tools, guides, solving urban issues, trainings, etc. of the partners of the Action Group.
- coordination of work visits and autopsies according to the directions of the the General Secretariat for Social Solidarity and Combating Poverty organizing publicity activities to highlight the work of the action group in each region
- communication with the Panhellenic Roma Confederation (HELLAN PASSE), the Union of Greek Roma Mediators and representatives of local Roma associations and bodies on current issues in Roma camps (vaccinations in camps during the pandemic period, child benefit and school attendance, consultation on Local Action Plans, investigation and mediation for the resolution of individual emergencies, such as those affected by natural disasters (IANOS, DANIEL in Thessaly/Mauritika, fires in Attiki/Aspropyrgos , Pallini), vaccinations of children Roma, EODY, "Health for All".
- communication with agencies implementing programs for Roma communities across the territory with the aim of group assistance, developing synergies, networking and empowering communities to participate in them and coordinating action group assistance to inform potential Roma beneficiaries and participate.
- Support for responding to requests from Roma organizations to speed up the implementation processes of approved projects, such as the "New Roma Entrepreneurship" action with the implementing agency DYPA.
- completion and implementation of the individual actions in the context of publicity of the project, planning a scenario to create a documentary with the aim of highlighting the work of the Action Group following the initiative of the National Contact Point.