ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAM

The program “Advocacy and Monitoring of Public Policies for Roma Social Inclusion” had a strategic impact in transforming community experience into concrete public policy proposals and in strengthening SASTIPEN’s role as a relevant actor in institutional dialogue. Through research, monitoring, shadow reports, and advocacy campaigns, the organization helped highlight the gap between the strategies assumed by the state and the realities on the ground, especially in health, anti-discrimination, and social inclusion.

The results were significant: public policy recommendations that influenced the revision of strategic documents on Roma inclusion; participation, since 2014, in the civil society consortium monitoring the implementation of the National Roma Inclusion Strategy; support for county and local authorities in drafting action plans; coordination of the Roma Forum network and stronger watchdog capacity among Roma NGOs; as well as stronger dialogue with key institutions such as the Ministry of Health, ANR, and MIPE. Starting in 2024, SASTIPEN’s recognition by the Ministry of Health as a strategic partner for the health component of the National Roma Inclusion Strategy confirms the relevance and expertise of the organization.

The impact of the program is reflected in the growing influence of Roma civil society on public policy, in the promotion of a participatory bottom-up approach, and in stronger institutional accountability at local, county, national, and European level. Through these interventions, SASTIPEN contributed to the development of policies that are more coherent, more equitable, and more closely aligned with the real needs of Roma communities.