Fostering Awareness and Interculturalism with Roma communities in European cities

ongoing

The project FAIR EUROPE - Fostering Awareness and Interculturalism with Roma communities in European cities builds on the cooperation among European cities established within the framework of the Council of Europe's Intercultural Cities Programme, and it focused on strengthening the role of local authorities in promoting diversity and, in particular and for the first time, their capacity to support the inclusion of Roma communities and to combat anti-gypsyism. The Action is based on a transnational partnership of 11 Municipalities and 2 CSOs in 7 countries: Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, France, Ukraine and Romania. The general objective of FAIR EUROPE is to strengthen the capacity of Municipalities to promote awareness and build knowledge about the role of minorities, in particular the Roma community, in European society and their contribution to the cultural development of Europe. The proposal identified the following 3 specific objectives: 1) Enhance the role of European municipalities in combating anti-gypsyism and promoting intercultural policies for Roma inclusion. By emphasizing the value of diversity and the contributions of the Roma community, this objective aims to promote local intercultural policies able to ensure effective inclusion of Roma communities in the social and cultural development of European cities. 2) Strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations, especially those representing Roma communities, to positively influence local policies and raise awareness among citizens. A central goal of the Action is to empower CSOs, especially those representing Roma communities, to actively participate in local decision-making processes. 3) Increase exchange and cooperation between European cities in the field of Roma inclusion Recognizing the value of cross-border collaboration, this objective aims to foster exchange and cooperation between municipalities across Europe.