„The Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government will continue to analyze, monitor the effects and increase the level of interest, but also to increase resources for solving problems that Roma people from substandard settlements in the Republic of Serbia face every day,” said Minister Marija Obradovic opening the Online Conference: “Mapping of Substandard Roma Settlements According to Risks and Access to Rights in the Republic of Serbia, with Special Reference to the COVID 19 Epidemic “.
Obradović pointed out the sensitivity of the topic, which she has dealt with before and in which she is personally very interested, and said that the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government will continue with continuous collection and analysis of data that are a prerequisite for implementing measures to improve housing for Roma people, especially in emergencies. She added that the period behind us has shown that, only with insight acquired in the field and with the cooperation of all interested participants and the support of international partners, we can respond to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable groups in the society.
„I would like to thank the representatives of local self-governments, international partners and civil society for their efforts invested in order to provide support in food, hygiene and protective equipment for the residents of substandard settlements. I invite you to continue with such good cooperation in the future as well,” said Minister Obradović.
She stated that after the outbreak of the COVID 19 epidemic, the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government called on local self-governments and city municipalities in Serbia to provide access to drinking water for all informal settlements, which included over 33,000 people living there. Also, the Minister informed the conference participants about the other activities, especially those implemented by local self-government units with the support of the EU using IPA programs, aiming to improve the overall living conditions in substandard settlements.
The Conference on Mapping Substandard Roma Settlements during the COVID 19 Pandemic was organized by the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the UN Human Rights Committee, with the support of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the study itself included 703 settlements in the territory of 97 local self-government units, where over 168,000 Roma people live. The data obtained by mapping showed that over 20 percent of the substandard settlements’ inhabitants do not have access to drinking water, over 55 percent do not have access to the sewerage network, and over 14 percents have no access to electricity or electricity supply is irregular.