TIRANA, Aug 4 – A call for participation was made for a new Dosta!-Congress Prize for Municipalities launched by the Dosta! campaign and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, as part of their ongoing work to strengthen the role of local authorities in the field of Roma and minority rights’ protection, according to a Council of Europe newsletter.
The Dosta!-Congress Prize will be awarded to three municipalities from the five participating South Eastern European countries whose creative and innovative initiatives most effectively ensure diversity in community life and the active democratic participation of the Roma.
The top three projects will receive the Council of Europe/European Commission/Congress of Local and Regional Authorities award during a ceremony in Strasbourg at the headquarters of the Council of Europe.
Local authorities should be the main stakeholders of the initiative/project. Projects should be innovative in their field of action, and be transferable as a model of good practice for implementation by municipalities in other countries.
Projects or initiatives submitted should fulfill at least one of the following criteria. They should:
ՠ improve the effective access of Roma to social rights (housing, employment, education, health);
ՠ promote intercultural and interethnic dialogue;
ՠ promote diversity in community life;
ՠ promote active democratic participation;
ՠ raise public awareness on Roma rights and culture and fight against the stereotypes and prejudices towards Roma (through the media, education system, institutions, and local authorities).
Municipalities from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Serbia and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” which run projects or initiatives in 2007 meeting the above mentioned criteria could apply from 1 June 2007 until 20 July 2007.
The Council of Europe Roma and Travelers Division, in cooperation with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will be in charge of the pre-selection of the submitted projects/initiatives. An international jury will then nominate the winners of the prizes. Members of the jury will be personalities in charge of political and minority issues, as well as Roma representatives.
The awards ceremony will take place in November 2007.
