R O M A      R I G H T S     F O R U M   “A R K A “

                                             K U M A N O V O

                                         A N N U A L    R E P O R T    

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1.    Organizational Information

1.1     Background Information

               ARKA, a human rights organization, was founded in 1998 by a group of Roma people in Kumanovo, Macedonia. This group of Roma citizens, frustrated with their access to the political process and the repeated denial of their basic human rights, began to look for new strategies to affect change.  They formed and registered an NGO with the hope that they would finally have an avenue see progress and make a difference. Their activities began 1998. The initial mandate of the organization was the promotion and protection of the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of Roma.  Later, they added work with other ethnic minority groups and refuges, as well as the promotion and enhancement of multi-ethnic relationships.  ARKA operated for its first year with no funding and hardworking volunteers. Their first funded projects followed in 1999 and focused on refugees from the war in Kosovo. Since that time they have worked with refugees, people without citizenship, people with disabilities, the unemployed and youth of all ethnic backgrounds.

             Over the past seven years ARKA has conducted numerous human-rights-related projects that have touched the lives of thousands of people.  These projects have been made possible with the generous financial support of a variety of national and international founders. ARKA has often worked alone but also has a history of collaboration with other governmental organizations, NGOs, individuals and groups. In fact, ARKA’s president Feat Kamberovski was instrumental in forming the multi-ethnic network the Kumanovo region.

ARKA’s willingness to serve and its organizational capacity have grown consistently since its inception.  Their capacity includes providing services both in the office and in the field. They have conducted workshops and trainings throughout Macedonia.

1. 2 Organizational Identity

2.1 Project Activities

2.1.1 “Human Rights Support Project”

Goals/Objectives: Providing free legal help to alleged victims of Police abuse.  Initiating legal and institutional reforms for more efficiently protection of human rights related to police treatment.

Target Group: Macedonian citizens

Activities: Taking statements of the client, completing relevant evidence of police abuse, submitting complaints to the Sector for Internal Control  and Professional Standards of the MOI and to the Local Ombudsman as well as Criminal charges to the Elementary Public Prosecutor.

Partners in Institute in Macedonia the project are: Coalition ”All for Fair Trials” in Skopje, “Center for Democracy Development” in Tetovo, NGO ”Choice” from Strumica and “Citizens Initiative Center” from Prilep.

Other collaborators are: Representative of the Local Ombudsman, the Sector for Internal Control and Professional Standards of the MOI and Elementary Public Prosecution.

Donors: Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

              Open Society

2.1.2  “Roma Registration and Personal Documentation Project”

Project Timeframe: May 01, 2006 – December 31, 2006

Target Group: Roma from the municipalities of Kumanovo, Kratovo and Kriva Palanka.  

Project Goal: The overall objective of the project is to reduce the number of Roma individuals lacking a legal identity and basic personal documentation in Macedonia.

Objectives: 1) build awareness in the Roma community of the importance of establishing a legal identity and obtaining documentation for themselves and their children and where to seek aid in doing so, and 2) provide to individual clients the legal and financial assistance necessary for them to obtain personal documentation and establish a legal identity.

Results: Eight hundred three (803) Roma individuals in the Kumanovo region  were assisted in obtaining personal documentation. This reduced the number of stateless Roma and unregistered children. Registration enables these Roma individuals to access a number of basic rights from which they were previously excluded or could not enjoy fully, including the rights to legal employment or unemployment registration, basic health care including childhood immunizations, social welfare and access to public education. For many the doors to participate in their society are finally opened.

In the time frame period of the project (May 01 – to December 31, 2006) 803 clients were seen: 263 were man, 251 were women and 289 were children. Sixty-eight children are under four years old. Of the clients seen, 508 have completed their documents, 98 cases are in procedure of obtaining documentation (some documents obtained while others are pending), while 197 cases are on the list of pending.  The geographical breakdown from the three municipalities is as follows: Kratovo (21 cases), Kriva Palanka (38 cases), 744 in Kumanovo municipality. The total number of documents provided is 1168 which is an average of 1.9 documents per client.

Donor: Swedish Helsinki Committee

2.1.3 Project Title: Free Access to the Public Information

Time frame:  Eight months (in 2006)

Target Group: Macedonian citizens

Activities: In frame of this project four (4) educative trainings in regard to the law for free access to the information and process of submitting applications were held. After trainings a test was given about the law, regulations and procedure for submitting applications, as well as other information needed for successful implementation of the project. A team was then selected for the project realization.

The overall activity was monitoring the implementation of the Law for Free Access to Public Information. This activity was composed of the submission of ten (10) applications by the citizens of the municipalities of Kumanovo and Lipkovo. The monitoring was conducted in three waves: The first was conducted before the Law took effect, and the activities of the other two waves were realized after the Law took effect. After end of all monitoring activities we will compiled all received information and summarize the results of the monitoring. Also we will conduct a comparative analysis to look at the respect for and the proper implement of the Law for Free Access to Public Information.

Project results: We have not yet finished the results of the comparative analyses of the monitoring. Those analyses results need to be prepared by the SOROS Foundation Staff who have also looked at various issues in the municipalities in the project. The final results will be announced publicly through the different public broadcast and print media.

Donor: Open Society Institute

2.1.4  Project Title: Legal Office for protection of refugees, seekers of asylum and people without citizenships

Target group: Refugees from Kosovo and people without their citizenship

Activities: Provided free legal help for refugees from Kosovo which live in the territory of Macedonia as well as to people seeking advice on citizenship, completion of documents and applying for their citizenship. ARKA staff and lawyers worked on each separate case of a potential seeker of citizenship in the Republic of Macedonia by providing free legal advice and financial support especially for vulnerable groups of “social welfare” beneficiaries  which are in need of financial help in order to realize their basic human rights.

Project Results: Through the project ARKA provided legal and financial support to over 150 people without Macedonian citizenship. For most beneficiaries this process of obtaining citizenship is finished but not for everyone. Some of the beneficiaries are on pending. ARKA continues to provide legal and financial help for obtaining Macedonian citizenship as the most first essential step in obtaining  basic human rights for the people.

Donor: UNHCR

2.1.5   Project Title: NGOs Role in the Process of Euro-Integrations in Macedonia

Time frame: 17-18 June 2006

Activities: Conducted seminar at “Gratce” Hotel in Kocani on Euro-Integration in Macedonia and role of Roma NGOs from Eastern Macedonia. Representatives from 20 Roma NGOs throughout the Eastern part of the country were invited. The subject of the seminar was a presentation of the situation and opportunities of the country in the process of Euro-integration  as well as ways that NGO’s can contribute to achieving this goal. The Secretariat for European Issues from the Macedonian Government  engaged two lecturers  who presented the realistic position of the country at this time and the possible ways of trying to realize this goal.

Target Group: 20 Roma NGOs from the Eastern Macedonia .

Project Results:  Roma NGOs were given the situation of the country in the process of Euro-Integration and their role in realizing the goal of EU membership.

Donor: This project was financed by Secretariat for European Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia.

2.1.6   Project Title: Roma Citizenships Project

Time frame: October 01- December 31, 2006

Project Goal: Reducing number of Roma people without  Macedonian citizenship.

Activities:  In 2005 and early 2006, Roma Rights Forum “ARKA” supported by financial help of the American Bar Association Central European and Eurasian Law Project provided free legal and financial help to Roma wishing to submit applications for Macedonia  citizenship. This process was facilitated by the Amendment to the Citizenship Law in accordance with the interim Article 14.  Because of the length of time needed to receive a positive decision on an application for citizenship 200 cases had not been resolved at the end of the project.  This project was developed in order to resolve those pending cases and pay for positive decisions for the poor.

Project Results: ARKA provided financial help to 178 Roma who had received positive decisions regarding their Macedonian citizenship but could not afford the 80 euro to pay for them.

Donor: Swedish Helsinki Committee

3.    Financial Chart for 2006

                                                  Balance sheet

Prepared by:                                                                                                       in January, 2007

Roma Rights Forum “ARKA”

______________________

Feat Kamberovski, President