Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues in Serbia. Sinti settlements into urban-development plans. The complete report was published in Serbian in 2006, and a separate summary and recommendations were published in English. This formed the basis of the ODIHR’s contribution to a conference in Belgrade in November on “Consolidation and Legalization of Roma Settlements and Housing”. IV. Enhancing participation in public and political life Roma and Sinti populations have a rather short history of political participation, both as voters and as candidates. This fact is rooted in the long history of marginalization and discrimination that Roma and Sinti have been confronted with. Another factor that contributes to this situation is the lack of awareness among Roma and Sinti both of how to exercise their political rights and of the positive influence that political participation can have for them. Although there has been an increase in the participation of Roma and Sinti in public life in recent years, participation in elections remains disproportionately low. By encouraging Roma and Sinti to take part in elec- A traditional Roma caravan – part of an exhibition on Roma culture – on display outside the hotel Sofitel Victoria in Warsaw, venue of the 2006 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting. SARAH CROZIER A publication on Roma housing settlements and urban planning tions and to make informed choices when voting, the Office promotes greater representation of Roma and Sinti in political and public institutions, which may help ensure that pertinent issues end up on the platforms of mainstream political parties. In 2006, the ODIHR completed a three-year project with the EU that was aimed at enhancing the participation of Roma and Sinti in public and political life as a means of helping citizens exercise their basic rights. The project was implemented in most of the countries of the former Yugoslavia and included a variety of activities ranging from civil and voter registration, voter education, and go-to-vote campaigns, to coalition-building roundtables, training for candidates, and support for establishing co-operation at the local level between Roma representatives and elected local authorities. A particular focus was placed on Roma and Ashkali internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, asylum-seekers, and returnees. For several years, the ODIHR has been helping Roma and Sinti participate in ODIHR election observation missions as both long- and shortterm observers. This serves the dual purpose of diversifying election missions and helping Roma representatives gain an in-depth understanding of the electoral process. The fact that these individuals are now regularly seconded to OSCE election observation missions points to the success of this activity in mainstreaming Roma into the election observation process. Annual Report  79