Engaging civil society and the Ukrainian government in a constructive dialogue to tackle the issues reported by Roma over the past two years of war was the focus of discussions hosted this week in Warsaw by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
Following a workshop on 6 March that brought together Roma civil society representatives and human rights defenders to map out war-related challenges experienced by Ukrainian Roma, the Roma activists joined state representatives and international experts for a conference the next day, to discuss co-operation to ensure better protection for Ukrainian Roma. ODIHR organized both events together with the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, while conference organizers also included the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience and the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.
The challenges facing Roma, including forced displacement, prejudice and socio-economic difficulties, continue to raise serious concerns, and protecting their human rights must be a priority, participants said. State efforts should be supported by civil society as well as local and international partners to develop policies that help improve the lives of Roma.
"This conference is a well-suited and timely platform provided by ODIHR to take stock of the human rights situation of Ukrainian Roma affected by Russia's war against Ukraine," said Ihor Lossovskyi, Deputy Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience. "The challenges are extremely complex and in order to address them, we need to join efforts with civil society and partners for co-operation and work together to find solutions."
Mykhailo Spasov, representing the Ukrainian Ombuds Office, emphasised the necessity of safeguarding the rights of Roma without any discrimination. "This group of population continues to experience particular challenges linked to prejudice," he said at the conference. "Today's event allows us to identify appropriate ways to address these issues."
"Roma people affected by forced displacement should be provided equal access to essential services," said Rada Kalandiia, manager of the Romodrom Integration Centre in Mukachevo, western Ukraine. "Besides, the war has exacerbated the already difficult socio-economic situation of Roma. The authorities need to work together with civil society to better tackle these issues."
ODIHR has a mandate to facilitate dialogue among OSCE participating States and civil society to ensure protection for Roma communities at risk, in line with the 2003 Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area. Since February 2022, ODIHR has been providing support to Ukraine, including by conducting human rights monitoring of displaced Roma, including women, in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. The Office also invested efforts to help build the capacity of Roma and pro-Roma human rights defenders, and facilitated Roma participation in OSCE human dimension events.
