A final conference is imagined as a forum to bring together partner organizations, institutions and other stakeholders to discuss the prospects of European integration and the importance of involving Roma civil society organizations in the process of joining the European Union and other similar processes.
By the project,the conference is planned to be held in Skopje, Macedonia.
The final conference
The final conference was organized as a dialogue forum gathering the participating organizations, institutions and other relevant stakeholders to discuss future perspectives on the European Integration and importance of involvement of Roma CSO in the EU accession and related processes. The final conference was organised in Korça, Albania, on 31st October 2017 and lasted one day. It involved all the project partners and was coordinated and supervised by the partner from Albania.
This final conference was the conclusion of all the project activities, and project team believes that the main goals have been accomplished through this project as concluded during the conference. The end of this project is marked as the beginning of a long lasting collaboration of involved organizations from different countries. The success of the first International Roma Conference in the framework of the Roaming Project organized in the city of Korça in Albania, with six Roma organizations from six Balkan countries, happened thanks to collaboration of all the partners from Western Balkans and to all those present during the conference, over 150 guests who honoured and appreciated this final event.
Agenda of the conference
09:00 – 10:00 Presentation of the Project (organizations, phases and activities);
10:00 – 11:30 Presentation of project Outcomes: Recommendations and Follow up Advocacy Initiatives; Press-Conference
11:30 – 12:00 Coffee break
12:00 – 13:00 Panel 1:“Building the capacity of CSOs to advocate for Roma youth rights–challenges and opportunities”
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch break
14:30 – 15:30 Panel 2: “EU funding and its potentials for Roma CSOs”
15:30 – 16.00 Coffee break
16.00 – 17.00 Networking event
The panellists during the conference were representatives of partner organisations, Mr Samir Jaha, Mr Arben Kosturi, Mr Elvis Memeti, Mr Eris Rusi, Mr Adem Ademi and Mr Bashkim Ibishi who presented all activities delivered and results achieved throughout the project implementation. This event was great occasion to summarise accomplishments and open dialogue on future possible initiatives in the direction of greater regional cooperation and optimisation of usage of EU opportunities. The event was also opportunity for the T kit to be presented as a tool for all Roma community organisations to use in advocating for better position of Roma community in their countries.
The presence and active contribution during the conference of the representatives from the Municipality of Korça, in particular of Mrs. Benila Themeli, Vice Mayor was a sign of the local support to this international initiative for whole Roma community and their future initiatives.
This conference had the support of Fan S. Noli University and the Vice Rector Dr. Erinda Papa who elaborated on the excellent cooperation with NGO Disutni Albania and with Roma students that attend courses in this institution. The speech from the Vice Director of the Korça Regional Council was oriented towards some of the main targets achieved thanks to the Roaming project, like the involvement of young Roma professionals in important tasks to interact with EU opportunities.
In the discussions that took place, the need for a regional platform was discussed to lead the single local initiatives into gathered joint regional movement and move it in the right and powerful direction.
Participants of the conference underlined that young Roma from region do not require more or less than young people across Europe countries. They want to be given the opportunity, and then use their full energy with the right space to raise their values and goals for the good of the common future. It is enough to be given the opportunity, and each of them will know how to use it for good.
This conference maintained the objective to strengthen the foundations of cooperation and good friendship between states. It was repeated on several occasions that the cooperation with international institutions, with the EU and other international organizations, should be the way to solve the problems that arise every day. The EU can promote a cultural initiative to disseminate this information about Roma culture and Roma language and tradition.
This spirit is included in the ROAMING project itself. This project was created on the need to develop the capacity of Roma CSOs from Western Balkan countries to make use of EU funds with the aim of:
1- To strengthen CSOs capacity in the Western Balkans to support EU reforms;
2- Advocate for EU Integration;
3- Become an EU policy supervisor on issues of Roma inclusion.
Therefore, all partner organizations in this meeting had the main aim not only to set the bridges of work in the future, but to really concretize it with further applications in the open calls from the EU for rights and issues of interest to the Roma community.
Sustainability and media coverage of the conference
This final conference was covered from local and national media. A few days before the beginning of the conference, there were interviews and media reports on local TV and social media regarding the importance and the nature of the conference. We contacted all the embassies of the countries involved in the project and we sent those media information and agenda of the conference. Through this, organizers had fully support for future collaboration with organizations from Western Balkans states.
During the conference organizers had the all-day presence of Public National TV RTSH (Albanian Radio Television) and after the conference this important national media transmitted at the channel RTSH 2 for the minorities, a great documentary about the first International Roma Conference within the Roaming Project organized in Albania, with six partners from Roma organizations, from six Balkan countries, in the city of Korça. This documentary was created with interviews and comments from all conference guests and the most important participants at the conference. The same extend of coverage was provided by the local media and organizers had live reporting on TV from the conference. Documentary is available online.
The media presence of the conference was excellent, being invited as a guest to several media houses as a follow up of the conference, namely National TV KLAN, LOBI TV, SOT 7 TV, TV KORCA, ecc.
The conference fully respected visual rules of the donor and shared information about benefits of ERASMUS+ programs with the audience.
