Ethnic conflict between Roma and other groups is a widespread problem in Slovakia, including in the southwestern districts of Levice and Nové Zámky and in the east district of Prešov. As economic conditions in the region deteriorate, including unemployment at a higher level than the national average, tension is on the rise. Local governments rarely intervene with effective inter-ethnic communication or dialogues, but rather choose to ignore the problem or apply makeshift solutions, such as concentrating Roma in remote parts of cities and towns. Meanwhile, Roma are given few opportunities to protect their interests or advocate for their rights to local government, state administration, or the general public.

In response, Partners-Slovakia designed and implemented a long-term program that created Conciliation Commissions to resolve and prevent local ethnic and community disputes. These permanent civic structures, which are recognized by local statutes, are composed of mediators representing the ethnic diversity of the community and serve to prevent and manage disputes by monitoring majority-minority relations, conducting educational outreach to local groups, mediating disputes relating to ethnic and minority issues, and facilitating dialogues on issues of local concern. Through the Commissions, communities are able to promote multicultural coexistence through peaceful conflict resolution processes.

In this program, Partners-Slovakia sought to develop Commissions in the towns of Levice, Nové Zámky, and Prešov. First, the Center convened 60 representatives from diverse social, professional, and ethnic groups for a series of training sessions and focus group meetings that took place in both communities. These participants were trained in effective communication, negotiation and mediation skills, as well as in multiculturalism and the history and traditions of Roma, in order to prepare them as future volunteer workers in the Commissions. Further, the participants worked on the formation of the Commission bylaws.

Partners-Slovakia also organized two focus groups in Levice and Nové Zámky in order to organize the Commissions and strategize on ways to complement existing efforts in the region. These focus groups included the training participants, representatives of public administration from both districts, civic associations, and local media; in addition, representatives from Conciliation Commissions and minority self-governments in the Czech Republic and Hungary attended to provide their comparative perspectives. The participants utilized this wide range of information to develop their recommendations on possible structures and activities for the Commissions. The focus group meetings confirmed Partners-Slovakia’s approach, including a targeting a multi-directional impact within the community, adapting comparable models from neighboring countries to fit within the Slovak context, and focusing on long-term impact rather than discrete projects.

By the conclusion of the project, Partners-Slovakia had established three Conciliation Commissions to provide conflict resolution and advisory services and serve as an information source and meeting space for civic associations in the communities and wider region. The main beneficiaries of these services are minority and disadvantaged groups, citizens with community and familial disputes, NGOs, social workers, and other individuals interested in cross-sector cooperation or participating in civil society development. The Commissions promote their activities though the local media and the dissemination of bulletins and other materials.

The Conciliation Commissions have already made an impact in their communities. The assistance of Commission services and networking helped to create creation new civic groups, such as Verbum pro Futura, Council for Advising in Social Work, and Romano Lile. In Levice, civil society representatives planned a meeting to convene the city’s civic leaders in order to more effectively coordinate their programs and increase their focus on multicultural coexistence. Other activities that resulted from the Commissions’ work included the participation of Roma musicians for the first time in the Festival of Tolerance in Nové Zámky, Roma clubs for children and youth, a new group of Alcoholics Anonymous, a series of discussions in schools on inter-group tolerance, and the public administration’s active cooperation with the Commissions to reduce stereotypes and address Roma needs. Further, the Commission members have developed supportive relations with colleagues in the Czech Republic and Hungary.

In addition, Partners-Slovakia developed a series of lessons learned from its experiences, including:

• Effectiveness of Conciliation Commissions: the Commissions should be impartial and independent from local government and public institutions, must receive the support of the public administration, and ideally are comprised of representatives from diverse towns.

• Attitude among Citizens: surveys indicate that citizens overwhelmingly still believe that government authorities have the right to resolve disputes and community problems, so the Commissions need to address this issue.

• Inter-group Relations: the Commissions’ activities need to focus on improving communication between Roma and non-Roma groups, through building capacity of new mediators from diverse backgrounds who can serve as a bridge between Roma and other communities among government officials and citizens.

• Network Building: practitioners need a forum for discussion, information and experience exchange, strategy development, and legislative brainstorming that will support their efforts and the work of diverse sectors.

• Multiplying Impact: the ideas of conciliation, inter-ethnic communication and conflict resolution need to be further promoted among all sectors, especially in ethnically mixed regions of the country; possible mechanisms include a national conference, a handbook on developing Conciliation Commissions, and an instructional video.

Additional Resources
1) Press Release Announcing Launch of Partners & USAID Roma Initiative