BEST PRACTICES FOR ROMA INTEGRATION level. BPRI supported the creation of 12 local Roma action plans designed to address needs of Roma communities, ten of which have already been adopted. Efforts were made to ensure that Roma participated actively in all phases of the development of the local action plans, together with representatives of different municipal services. Local Roma integration strategies and plans will only be successful if they reflect the genuine needs of the communities. To help achieve this, BPRI carried out several research activities on ensuring accurate data and quality analyses are used when planning action for greater Roma integration. BPRI supported six policy-practice studies on gaps in existing legislation that may affect Roma. To help Roma rights activists fight discrimination against Roma communities and to promote increased participation in local decision-making, BPRI collected good practices from across the Western Balkans and published them in its “Regional Report on AntiDiscrimination and Participation of Roma in Local Decision-making”. BPRI organized a series of events across the Western Balkans to raise awareness about Roma culture, traditions and rights to celebrate International Romani Day on 8 April. Campaigns to combat discrimination and events in schools were some of the other BPRI activities of this type carried out in 2013. Supporting a new generation of Roma rights advocates support and encourage Roma youth to participate in policymaking and advocacy in the region. BPRI’s tenmonth-long Young Roma Professionals programme also includes training on specific skills to help the trainees’ future employment prospects. The young professionals first spent up to five months in OSCE field operations throughout the region, before spending the second half of their traineeship working for governmental institutions or non-governmental organizations. After completing their traineeships, the young professionals took the initiative of establishing a regional network in order to continue with joint activities, projects and other forms of exchange of experience. The newly formed association “Restart” will focus on education and employment, healthcare, cultural identity, gender issues and the implementation of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015. Such outcomes point to the success of the BPRI project in empowering Roma to advocate for their own rights beyond the lifetime of the project. In addition to the young Roma professionals, more than 1,300 Roma are involved in the project’s wider activities, gaining skills and experience that will help them continue working on issues affecting Roma integration in the Western Balkans in the future. BPRI is a regional project funded by the European Union, supported by OSCE participating States and implemented by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Some 25 young Roma from across the Western Balkans took part in a trainee programme designed to The Romani radio station Avazo in Prizren uses equipment purchased with the help of a BPRI small grant, 12 September 2013. (OSCE/Tomislav Georgiev) ODIHR Annual Report 2013  /   67