Good practices in promoting Roma and Sinti youth participation presented at ODIHR event in Warsaw

Experiences and good practices in supporting the participation of Roma and Sinti youth in the OSCE region were the main topic of a side event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 18 September 2017, during the annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.

The event brought together Roma and Sinti activists from the OSCE area, including representatives of organizations involved in the Office’s Roma and Sinti Youth Initiative project, to discuss challenges facing young Roma and Sinti and explore how both civil society and public institutions are adapting to new, indirect forms of participation of young people, with a focus on Roma and Sinti youth.

“Supporting young Roma and Sinti is a valuable investment,” said Tatjana Perić, Acting Chief of the ODIHR Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues. “By identifying concrete ways to increase their participation in public and political life, and by putting them into practice, we both address current challenges facing Roma and Sinti communities and create prospects for a better and more inclusive future for our societies.”

“It is high time we shift from small-scale initiatives addressing Roma and Sinti youth to larger, more systematic programmes,” said Ghiocel Munteanu, representative of the Ireland-based Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre NGO. “OSCE participating States should step up their efforts in promoting the participation of young Roma and Sinti.”

“This event provided us with an opportunity to review the main concerns of Roma and Sinti youth, including those of young women, and reflect on how to address these obstacles through mainstream policy-making involving more Roma and Sinti representatives,” said Natalia Duminica, a Roma activist from Moldova.

In the run-up to the event, ODIHR organized a preparatory training event on participation and advocacy for civil society representatives from Roma and Sinti communities.