UN supports Bulgaria in bringing Roma and other minorities into mainstream

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is supporting a Bulgarian initiative to improve living conditions and expand job opportunities for 46,000 Roma and 5,000 ethnic Turks living in run-down neighbourhoods in six municipalities.

The project aims to move Roma and other minorities into the social and economic mainstream as part of the country's preparations to join the European Union in 2007, UNDP said, noting that it is also backing other initiatives that focus on job creation, social integration, health and education and advocacy for tolerance and sensitivity about cultural and ethnic differences.

The recently launched UNDP Regional Human Development Report, The Roma in Central and Eastern Europe: Avoiding the Dependency Trap, found that approximately half of Bulgaria's Roma are unemployed and almost one in six is malnourished.

Bulgaria's initiatives aim to improve these problems by upgrading and extending water supply and sewerage systems, electricity infrastructure, street lighting, roads and pedestrian paths. It also plans to build new kindergartens and community centres.

Minorities can benefit from vocational training and short-term employment to gain skills and experience by working on improvements in the Dulovo, Lom, Omurtag, Pazardzik, Stara, Zagora and Venec municipalities. The project will also help people build better livelihoods by providing small loans and other assistance to minority-owned business in the areas.

UNDP is providing €190,000 (euros) to help with the project, while the Bulgarian Government is allocating €1.24 million and the European Commission is contributing €4.9 million under its Phare programme to assist candidate countries preparing to join the EU.