Central and Eastern Europe

An UNDEF-funded project to empower Roma communities has produced a study on the housing plight of Roma in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. An example of challenges is this family home in Veles,
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where Roma families live in areas facing
erosion and flooding. Implemented by the European Roma Rights Centre, the initiative is the first of its kind to employ Roma as researchers, writers and reviewers -- thus educating and empowering them to apply international human rights standards on housing rights in national legislation.

Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia

In some of Europe's young democracies, an UNDEF-funded initiative uses theatre to teach democratic concepts to young people. The project, implemented by Kerekasztal Tarsulas, focuses on youth from minority and marginalized backgrounds in Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia. It featured a production in Budapest in which seven-year-olds enacted ‘In Captivity’, based on HC Andersen’s ‘The Emperor’s New
Clothes’, as an exploration of the themes of power and authority.

Moldova, Ukraine

Civic engagement and democratic participation in Moldova and Ukraine remain low and imbued with mistrust.
UNDEF supports a project to strengthen collaboration between government and civil society. Implemented by Euclid Network, the project enables representatives from
government and civil society to meet and build trust over time. This master class for Ukrainian civil society representatives included an emotional situation during role play, as the
participant was attempting to make the group listen to her.

Russian Federation

Protecting the rights of migrant workers is becoming an ever more acute challenge in Russia. UNDEF funds an initiative focusing on migrants from Central Asia, who often work in unsafe conditions such as this. Implemented by the Center for Assistance to Victims of Violence and Human Trafficking, the project works to empower civil society and trade unions representing migrants and ethnic minorities. It educates
police, institutions and social services in tools to prevent discrimination and
xenophobia; trains civil society organizations in UN human rights conventions, international standards, Russian law and court litigation; and brings together migrant leaders, police, the Ministry of Justice, and the Offices of the Ombudsman and Prosecutor.