Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues ODIHR Director Janez Lenarčič (right) launches a report on the situation of Roma and Sinti in Warsaw, 2 October 2008. and Sinti of their ability to influence their own circumstances through political participation often compounds the problem. The most vulnerable groups among these communities, such as women, young people, internally displaced persons, refugees and returnees, are particularly affected. kk Trafficking in human beings: Factors like endemic poverty, social marginalization, the collapse of institutional support structures, and widespread discrimination all make members of the Roma and Sinti communities particularly vulnerable to trafficking of human beings and the exploitation of children. Acitivities in 2009 were concentrated on the following areas: kk Assessing implementation of the Action Plan; kk Enhancing access to and participation in public and political life; kk Combating racism and discrimination; kk Roma and Sinti in crisis and post-crisis situations; and kk Combating trafficking in human beings 58 Annual Report 2008 I. Implementation and assessement of the action plan Although the Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma within the OSCE Area was introduced in 2003, progress on meeting its objectives has been limited, and conditions have even grown worse in some areas. A major step towards assessing the implementation of the action plan came in the form of Status Report 2008 on Implementation of the Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti Within the OSCE Area, which was launched at the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw. In the process of developing the report — the first assessment of this kind by ODIHR — the Office developed a methodology for assessing the progress made by participating States in meeting their commitments to improving the situation of Roma and Sinti. The findings offer a reference point and resource for states, identifying best practices, trends and dilemmas faced in their efforts to achieve the objectives laid out in the Action Plan. While identifying progress in some participating States, the report concludes that these improvements fall far short of representing a