Pamplona is hosting a gathering of young Rroma to discuss public policy and self-determination
The event, organised as part of the FEIG 2026 project, brought together young people, organisations and institutional stakeholders to analyse the 2021–2030 Strategy from a critical and constructive perspective.
On 25 March, Pamplona hosted the Rroma Youth Meeting at the Amigos Building of the University of Navarra (UNAV), under the title ‘Roma Youth and the 2021–2030 Strategy: From Social Inclusion to Self-Determination’. The event, organised within the framework of the Foro Estratégico Interautonómico Gitano 2026 (FEIG 2026) project, promoted by the organisations Asociación Nacional Presencia Gitana, FAGIC and La Fragua Projects, was consolidated as a key space to place young people at the heart of the debate on rights, public policies and the future of the Rroma People.
The event brought together young people, social organisations, institutional representatives and experts in a shared space for reflection and collective action. From a rights-based perspective, the event provided an opportunity to analyse the progress and limitations of the current National Strategy for Equality, Inclusion and Participation of the Rroma People 2021–2030, focusing on the need to move towards genuine processes of self-determination.
The programme was structured around a series of sessions designed to facilitate both analysis and active participation. The institutional and contextualisation session provided an opportunity to set out the current frameworks of the Strategy and open up a debate on its impact across different regions. Subsequently, the thematic roundtables provided spaces for horizontal dialogue in which participants shared experiences, identified common challenges and formulated concrete proposals regarding the inclusion, equal treatment and self-determination of Roma youth.
One of the key elements of the event was precisely this participatory approach: the proposals were not put forward from outside, but arose directly from the experiences, analyses and priorities expressed by the young people themselves. The meeting concluded with a round-up of conclusions, during which contributions were gathered aimed at transforming public policies from a perspective more closely aligned with the everyday reality of young Roma people.
La Fragua Projects’ involvement in this meeting forms part of its work within the FEIG project, a programme that aims to strengthen the advocacy capacity of the Rromani civil society movement and create spaces for collective analysis of public policies from both a regional and national perspective.
From the organisation of this event, promoted and co-organised by Gaz Kaló, an entity participating in the FEIG project, it was also intended to highlight the role of 16 de Mayo, Juventud Gitana, whose participation brought strength and a generational perspective to the process; the role of the academic research centres of the Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), the Universidad de Navarra (UNAV) and CESPYD; as well as the collaboration of entities and stakeholders that also take part in the project, including Yiló and Unión Romaní Madrid.
Finally, the conclusions of the conference were read out in the Parliament of Navarre during a sitting attended by the highest-ranking institutional representatives, including representatives from all Navarrese parliamentary groups, the President of the Parliament and the President of the Autonomous Community of Navarre. The conclusions were brilliantly read out by two young Rromani women from Navarre, representing all the individuals and organisations that took part in the conference.
Beyond the meeting itself, the day sends a clear message: moving towards equality requires not only inclusive policies, but also recognition of the right of the Rromani People — and especially their young people — to play an active part in shaping their present and their future.
Spaces such as these underscore the importance of continuing to foster collective processes in which young Rroma are not merely the objects of policy, but political actors with a voice of their own.
Source: La Fragua Projects
Photos: Gaz Kaló and La Fragua Projects