The ERRC is Starting a Roma Rights Network – Does Your Organisation Want to Join?

19 August 2021

Roma face discrimination unimaginable in the lives of most Europeans. The ERRC supports Roma to fight antigypsyism in and out of court, through strategic litigation, advocacy, and media engagement. None of this work would be possible without strong partnerships with international, national, or local organisations that mobilise Roma to fight back against injustice.

We want to form a network of Associate Members where such organisations would be given a formal opportunity to participate in advising and working with the ERRC, impact the European sphere in a coordinated manner, and work on joint actions and projects with the ERRC.

Why? We see this as an opportunity to work particularly closely with NGOs who are active at national and local levels to mobilise Romani people to exercise their rights. Whilst we will always continue to work with a large number of organisations, the organisations who become associate members will have a more long-term relationship with us and enable us to jointly take our work to a new level.

Who are we looking for?  We would like to work with registered non-profits which are:

• Working nationally or on a smaller geographic scale.
• Working to challenge human rights issues faced by Romani people.
• Willing to work with the ERRC on a European level.

What will we do together?

• Meet regularly (in person or electronically) for discussions, coordination, trainings, or other events.
• Work together to bring new strategic legal cases.
• Engage online and offline activists.
• Launch advocacy and communications campaigns.
• Participate in research where necessary to support legal action.
• Seek funding for joint projects.

What are members’ rights and responsibilities? The initial group of members will agree terms of reference with the ERRC’s management. In general, members will be expected to:

• Attend meetings.
• Propose ideas for joint projects.
• Work collaboratively with us.

In addition:

• The ERRC will fund participation in network events.
• There will be no membership fees.
• Under our statues, associate members are not responsible for governance issues, so there is no need to vote or attend governance-related meetings of the ERRC.
• Associate Members can leave the ERRC Roma Rights Network at any time with no strings attached.

How can my NGO apply? If you are interested in working with us, send an email to mihail.stojanoski@errc.org by 20th September 2021 with the following information:

• Details about your organisation (please attached your statutes or a link to them – don’t worry if they are in a language other than English).
• Around 500 words telling us what your organisation does.
• Around 500 words telling us what interests you about joining the ERRC Roma Rights Network.
• A link to your website, if you have one, or your social media pages.
• Any other information you want to send us.

Whilst we are excited to use this opportunity to formalise relationships with organisations that we work with, we still remain flexible and will continue to work with any human rights organisations who care about improving Romani lives (members or not).

We will respond to all applicants, successful or otherwise. Once we’ve reviewed applications, a decision will be made by the ERRC’s management and communicated to you.