First ROMED2 Launching Meeting and Workshop in Ohrid, FYROM

On the 30th of October 2013 the second phase of ROMED focusing on Roma participation in democratic governance through mediation kicked off with the very first launching event in Ohrid, “the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia”, where six municipalities were selected for implementation: Tetovo, Vinica, Bitola, Prilep, Gostivar and Stip. Representatives of the municipalities, the ROMED 2 National Project Officer SONCE, and 2 to 3 mediators for each municipalities attended the launching meeting, together with representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and of the Ministry of Education and Science of “the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia” whose strong statements showed support towards both the programme implementation and to municipalities involved. A strong message of commitment was also expressed by municipalities and mediators, who welcomed the initiative as promising. Other relevant International Organisations (OSCE) and civil society representatives and Roma NGOs (OSF) were also present.

A positive development was announced during the meeting by Ms Mabera Kamberi, Head of the Sector for Coordination and Technical Assistance within the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, concerning the granting of long-term contracts to 18 pre-school mediators/assistants, who had previously benefited from the ROMED training concluded in March 2013.

Strasbourg 14/10/2013