As Türkiye continues reforms aimed at integrating ethnic, religious and minority communities, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has approved a new long-term strategy document and action plan targeting Roma citizens, according to a presidential circular published Tuesday.

The circular, published in the Official Gazette, covers the "Strategy Document for Roma Citizens (2023-2030)” and the "Second-Phase Action Plan (2026-2030),” which aims to improve Roma citizens’ access to public services, raise socioeconomic welfare levels and strengthen social cohesion.

In the circular, Erdoğan said the first phase of the action plan, implemented between 2023 and 2025, had been successfully completed and that a second phase would be launched to ensure continuity of policies for Roma communities.

"The implementation of the first-phase action plan has been successfully completed, and the second phase has been initiated to ensure the continuation of efforts for our Roma citizens,” Erdoğan said. He added that the new action plan would be published on the official website of the Ministry of Family and Social Services.

Erdoğan called on relevant ministries, public institutions and provincial governors to provide all necessary support, ensure coordination and fulfill their responsibilities in implementing the strategy and action plan.

Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said Tuesday that the second-phase action plan would expand services aimed at improving the daily lives of Roma citizens, with a focus on education, employment and women’s economic participation.

"Through an action plan that has strong local implementation, we will expand services that improve the lives of our Roma citizens,” Göktaş said. "We will strengthen school attendance for children, help young people transition more quickly into vocations and employment, and increase women’s opportunities for production and income.”

Göktaş made the remarks at a monitoring and evaluation board meeting in Ankara on the Strategy Document for Roma Citizens and the first-phase action plan.

She said the initial phase of the 2023-2030 strategy had been completed and that its gains would be expanded through stronger coordination at the local level. Describing Türkiye as a country where different cultures have lived together for centuries, Göktaş said Roma citizens are an inseparable part of that social fabric.

"The way to strengthen this richness is to sustain our services with a vision that leaves no one behind,” she said.

Göktaş recalled the "Roma initiative” launched by Erdoğan in 2009, describing it as a turning point in public policy toward Roma citizens. She said the initiative shifted the approach from social assistance alone to a rights-based, participatory and results-oriented policy framework.

She said the current strategy is built on a multi-stakeholder coordination model involving central and local governments, public institutions, universities and civil society organizations. The plan sets targets across six policy areas, including education, employment, health, housing, social services and broader social inclusion policies.

In education, Göktaş said priority has been given to increasing school enrollment and retention among Roma children, expanding access to quality education, supporting school adaptation and reducing the risk of early marriage.

Since early 2023, she said, 41 new Social Support Centers, known as SODAMs, have been established, bringing the total number nationwide to 87. Through social service programs and mobile teams, nearly 200,000 household visits have been carried out, while employment services have been expanded in coordination with the Turkish Employment Agency, or ISKUR.

Göktaş said women’s cooperatives have been encouraged to help Roma women secure regular income, adding that 13 cooperatives have been established. She said 85% of the targets set under the first-phase action plan have been completed, while the remaining goals involve continuous monitoring and long-term institutional follow-up.

She said the second-phase action plan builds on the existing infrastructure and focuses on expanding vocational training, on-the-job programs and employment support, along with financial literacy, cooperative development and e-commerce training.

In health and housing, Göktaş said the plan aims to improve health literacy and access to services, expand housing assistance and support neighborhood-sensitive housing and on-site urban transformation models. She added that local action plans are being implemented in provinces with large Roma populations under the coordination of provincial governors.

"Our goal is inclusive access to services, sustainable solutions and uninterrupted coordination from the center to the local level,” Göktaş said. "With the second-phase action plan, we will continue to stand by our Roma citizens and strengthen our culture of shared life, solidarity and fraternity.”