SDC Regional Seminar on Roma Social Inclusion
2018-03-24
In March 2018, the 4th SDC Regional Seminar on Roma Social Inclusion was organized in the town of Plovdiv, south Bulgaria. The seminar focused on the institutionalization approach applied in Bulgaria, which was assessed for its strengths and weaknesses regarding effectiveness, sustainability and transformation options.
The objectives of this seminar were:
- to identify strengths and weaknesses of supporting Roma inclusion through governmental institutions and derive operational and policy recommendations;
- to reflect on how SDC country offices /integrated Embassies are promoting social inclusion through their programmes and active policy dialogue
- to take stock of the experiences, based on 5 years of exchange on inclusion in SDC programmes.
The ZOV programme served as the case and base for learning and sharing experiences on institutionalization – i.e. working with central authorities and local governments. Field visits were organized in Plovdiv, Kuklen, Sliven and Sofia. The insights from the fieldwork were shared and analyzed through a role play following the method of a forum where the participants from Romania and countries of Western Balkans, as well as Roma experts shared their best practices and related to the field visits. The findings and lessons were shared with Swiss Ambassadors in the region.