1. Case-study No. & Title:
197. Development and implementation of a Strategic Plan, aimed at integration of national minorities in the city, Pardubice, The Czech Republic

Keywords

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Participation

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Negotiations

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Strategy Building

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Institution building

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Communication

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Co-operation

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Partnership

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Interethnic relations

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Other(s), namely: International co-operation


2. Author information:
2.1 Author’s Name
Peter Mulder

2.2 Institutional Affiliation and Contact Details:

Peter Mulder (Chairman občanské sdružení Spolu-CZ)
Spolu-CZ
P.O. Box 651
661 51 Brno-2
The Czech Republic

Tel.: +420-603-843.982 (private)
Fax: +420-5-4524.61.66 (work)
E-mail: peter.mulder@post.cz

2.3 Date recorded
04/01/2001

3. Good Practice Information Sheet
3.1 Local Level Good Practice:


The Pardubice Municipal Council, in co-operation with the British organisation European Dialogue, has started a process which should lead to the implementation of a strategic plan, aimed at integration of ethnic minorities in the city of Pardubice. This process consists, among other things, of meetings, training, seminars, consultation and research. All these aspects are, and will be, carried out in close co-operation between the City of Pardubice, European Dialogue and local Roma organisations and representatives. The result of this process, the strategic plan, is supported by the different sides and has to lead to concrete changes in municipal policy.

The implementation of the Strategic plan is part of the RrAJE-program (Roma Rights and Access to Justice and Europe), carried out by European Dialogue in 6 Central and Eastern European countries.

3.2 Location:

Pardubice, Czech Republic, is a city of approximately 100,000
inhabitants, approximately 120 km east of Prague. The city has 121,000 inhabitants, and has a relatively small Roma community of only approximately 1000 people.

In Pardubice, there are different institutions, both form the side of the municipality as well as from the side of non-governmental organisations, who are engaged in activities, directed towards the integration of the local Roma population.

The local authorities established a commission ("the Roma Commission") which tries to discuss and solve concrete problems, concerning the Roma-community. In this commission, representatives of NGOs meet with representatives of the City and of city institutions. Under the responsibility of the local authorities, a Roma community centre has also been established.

In the non-governmental sector, different organisations and groups are active:

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Klub Hurá Kamarád - an organisations which carries out social work for youth, and whose activities are partly aimed at the Roma population.

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Civic association REGIROM – a regional association for Roma-culture in Southeast Bohemia

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Romane čhave (Roma Child) - organising activities for Roma youth

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Council of Roma Women

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Cultural Union of Citizens of Roma Nationality - organising cultural events


3.3 Minority/Target Groups:
Minority: Roma
Target group: The Roma population in the Czech city Pardubice

3.4 Major Actors Involved

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Local Government

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Local NGO

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Public Institution

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International NGO

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Minority organisations


3.5 Budget allocated by local government authorities and/or by other actors
Not available

3.6 Timeframe

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The Pardubice Municipal Council started to discuss the development of a strategic plan with European Dialogue during 1999

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A research on inter-ethnic relations in Pardubice took place from March - July 2000

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In May 2000, a draft version of the strategic plan has been put on paper.

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In March 2000, the Pardubice Municipal Council adopted a "Statement of intent and commitment"

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Formal approval of the strategic plan by the Municipal Council of Pardubice took place in Autumn 2000

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From 2001 - 2001, the Pardubice Municipal Council will continue its co-operation with the RrAJE-program; implementing the strategic plan in the municipal policy: 2001 and further


3.7 Local level good practice relation to national level ethnic policy
The strategic plan is a Pardubice initiative. However, there are links to national policy on working with national minorities:

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In other cities, plans are being drawn up - and in some cases already implemented - to establish a Roma-commission, Roma-council or comparable institutions, which should have an important role in solving problems in the coexistence of minority and majority.

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The establishing of these institutions is supported by the national government, although it has not been fixed yet in formal policy, laws or regulations. Projects like this one are in line with the conception of the Czech Government regarding ethnic minority policy.

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It is expected that the development of these initiatives in more municipalities will lead to accepting laws or regulations on national level, to give these kind of initiatives a legal basis and to enable more municipalities to take similar initiatives."


4. Good Practice Description
Co-operation within the RrAJE-program
The Pardubice Municipal Council participates in the international RrAJE-programme (Roma Rights and access to Justice in Europe). The RrAJE-programme has been developed by the British organisation "European Dialogue" (ED), supported by the British Department for International Development. It is a "three-year strategic programme to address Roma social exclusion in Central and Eastern Europe". The plan has two key aspects:

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developing municipal strategic plans in a small number of selected municipalities, to address Roma social exclusion

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Training and advice, directed at police organisations and officers, working with national minorities - in this case mainly Roma


Roma-commission
The "Roma commission" (Officially: "Commission to solve Roma problematic") plays an important role in the communication between the Pardubice Municipal Council and the Pardubice Roma population. Representatives from both the municipality, and of the Roma population, participate in the commission. Apart from a certain number of formal, stable members, the commission is open to those who are interested and willing to help solving concrete problems. This commission is meant to play an important role in developing the strategic plan and also in implementing it.

Research
At the request of the Pardubice ngo Klub Hurá Kamarádn the Charles University carried out a qualitative research about the interethnic relations in Pardubice in the period from March until July 2000. This research was part of the process leading to the acceptance and implementation of the strategic plan. The final report of this research, "Zpráva o interetnických vztazích ve Pardubicích" ("Report about the inter-ethnic relations in Pardubice") gives a good overview of the situation of inter-ethnic coexistence in Pardubice. The report consists of the following parts:

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A description of the research, and the methodical and theoretical premises

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A detailed description of the different people, groups and institutions and the way they are involved in Roma-issues

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A SWOT-analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) of the local situation of inter-ethnic coexistence

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A list of recommendations


The research and the publication of the report have been made financially possible with support from NROS (Nadace Rozvoje Ob
čanské společnosti - Foundation for Development of the Civil Society), Open Society Fund, The British Know-How Fund and the Pardubice Municipal Council.

Implementation-process of the strategic plan:
During the process of developing the strategic plan, the Municipal Council of Pardubice has been in intensive contact with their main contact-person at European Dialogue, Mr Richard Crowson. In Pardubice, a Strategic Planning Committee has been established, with Ms Alena Kosková as chairperson.

Statement of intent and commitment
In March 2000, the Pardubice Council approved of a "Statement of intent and commitment". This statement consists of 12 principles, which would be the basis on which the strategic plan and further minority-policy should be based. The first paragraph of this statement clearly shows the intention of the whole statement:

 

"The vision of Pardubice Municipal Council is to work towards a unified city where all members of the local community, majority and minority, can live and work together in peace and harmony."


The 11 paragraphs that follow elaborate this statement towards the different spheres, in which the municipality is carrying out its activities.

Draft strategic plan
In May 2000, the Pardubice Municipal Council proposed a draft strategic plan, which will be the basis of the final strategic plan. The method of presentation of this draft-plan has been the one also used for Pardubice's economic strategic plan and encompasses the following:

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the intention of the strategy

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the target to be achieved

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the strategy by which the target is to be achieved.


The following areas, in which the Municipality is carrying out its activities and which are related to the work with the Roma community, have been proposed as core-areas for the strategic plan (1).

1) Communication

a)

Intention; to improve the communication and relationships with and between the Roma, ethnic minorities and Pardubice City Council and the majority population,

b)

Target; within a period of 2-3 years there will be measurable and identifiable progress in bringing about a greater understanding between the participating groups

c)

Strategy; to undertake a review of the terms of reference of the existing Roma liaison committee of the City Council with a view to increasing its status and ensuring that City Assembly Members are properly represented; to give the committee a specific role in monitoring the relationship between all groups involved; to make the committee responsible for minority affairs.


2) Culture

a)

Intention: to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding between majority and minorities which will promote an interest in and an understanding of Roma culture and lifestyle so as to assist in a learning process leading to greater respect for one another,

b)

Target: over a 3-5 year period to expand the cultural, musical and dance activities of the Roma culture to provide a bridge between majority and minority communities

c)

Strategy: to promote through direct funding, and by supporting external funding applications, Roma and minority cultural activities. To ensure that Pardubice City Council is seen as a catalyst and enable in bringing a greater understanding of minorities arts, dance and music to the majority. Actively promote inter-ethnic relations.


3) Welfare and discrimination

a)

Intention: to eliminate any unfair or discriminatory behaviour within the services which the City Council provides to minorities, including the Roma, and to encourage a greater awareness amongst staff of the needs of minorities.

b)

Target: all the departments of Pardubice City Council which provide welfare and social care to the community and key individual members of staff who are responsible for liaison work with minorities and the Roma.

c)

Strategy: to provide a 3 year training programme to be funded by external grants for all staff of the city-council who work with minorities and Roma with a view to raising the awareness of these employees to the special social and cultural needs of minorities. To support active policies which will strengthen and improve the relationship between Pardubice City Council and all minorities in the city.


4) Police and security

a)

Intention: to develop new strategies to confirm the commitment of the local police-force in Pardubice to combat racist and xenophobic violence and ensure equal and fair treatment to all citizens irrespective of their race, colour or ethnic origin

b)

Target: the local police of the City of Pardubice and, on account of the importance of this issue in a rapidly changing society, the state police who serve our area

c)

Strategy: following careful and detailed discussion and consultation for the police to adopt the principles enshrined in the "Rotterdam Charter" (policing for multiethnic society) and to provide "awareness" training for the local and possibly state police within the city.


5) Education and employment

a)

Intention; to demonstrate that the Pardubice City Council acknowledge the importance of education and the need for employment in order that minorities, including the Roma, can build their self-esteem and making them aware of both their rights and responsibilities

b)

Target; the minorities and Roma communities in the City of Pardubice both in terms of attaining educational qualifications and being qualified for employment opportunities

c)

Strategy; to support training workshops designed to increase awareness amongst Roma both of their civil rights and educational responsibilities for children and young people. To work with the Ministry of Labour and Employment to increase the opportunities for all minority and Roma communities to be trained for and attain employment.


Definitive implementation of the Strategic plan
During the second half of 2000, the Pardubice Municipal Council has adopted the definitive version of the strategic plan. It has become a three-year plan to address discrimination and social exclusion - according to the topics mentioned about in the draft-version of the plan.

A committee has been set up to discuss the way the training-program, mentioned in the strategic plan, will be carried out. In the committee, the City, several municipal departments, police and the Roma community are represented.

There is political support for the programme from the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and the Chairperson of the Strategic Planning Committee.

Contact address:
Magistrát M*sta Pardubice
Pernštýnské nám. 1
530 21 Pardubice
The Czech Republic

Note 1: The text of these five core-areas has been taken from the paper "Draft strategic plan - Pardubice municipal Council (Magistrát Města Pardubice), section related to the Roma Community in the city", by Mr Richard Crowson, 22nd May 2000