Kosovo, Roma communities were frequently caught in the of the refugees and IDPs have integrated into their host so- crossfire, accused of collaboration with opposing parties to cieties, others still live in refugee camps where difficult living the conflict. conditions are often aggravated by tensions with the local population, including the local Roma population. The Con- The Contact Point's two-year programme "Roma under the tact Point, in close co-ordination with the UNHCR, assists Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe" is funded largely by Roma refugees develop internal structures and capacities the European Commission, with additional support from the that allow them to effectively contribute to finding a durable United States, and is implemented together with the Coun- solution to the refugee problem together with local and na- cil of Europe. tional authorities, Roma organizations, and the international community. Roma in acute crisis situations The Contact Point addressed the topic of durable solutions The Contact Point monitors the situation of Roma in conflict for the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian Kosovars displaced in areas and alerts the authorities and the international com- the Balkans at a conference it led in Sarajevo in January, as munity when Roma are under threat of becoming victims of well as at the July meeting in Skopje mentioned earlier. The a conflict. Throughout the summer of 2003, the Contact Contact Point has also been involved in work with the OSCE Point worked closely with the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mis- missions in the Balkans and with national authorities to de- sion to Skopje to address the crisis in Medzitlija, where a velop a set of principles and norms for formalization and up- large group of Roma and Egyptian Internally Displaced Per- grading of informal housing settlements. This process of sons (IDPs) were gathered. The Contact Point offered its sup- study and discussion will continue in 2004. port as an intermediary to representatives of concerned governmental agencies, embassies, international governmental Local Roma contact points organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the IDPs themselves. The ODIHR Contact Point is in the process of establishing a network of local Roma “contact points” throughout South- In July, the Contact Point co-operated with the Spillover Eastern Europe. The contact points are Roma selected by the Monitor Mission and the Council of Europe to organize a re- ODIHR to act as intermediaries between Roma communities gional roundtable on this issue. This resulted in the drafting and local authorities. The purpose of this project is not only of a document outlining five guiding principles that would to improve communication between Roma populations and allow international organizations and the IDPs to work to- the authorities but also to train young Roma professionals in gether to find more-durable legal solutions to the crisis; preparation of possible future engagements in institutions these guiding principles could also be applied in similar cir- and organizations dealing with Roma affairs. cumstances elsewhere. As a result of efforts by the OSCE, the IDPs at Medzitlija reached an agreement with interna- Overcoming fragmentation tional governmental organizations allowing for a withdrawal to Skopje and, for many of the concerned, a new process The fragmentation of the ethnic group usually referred to as of application for asylum. Roma or “gypsies/tsiganes” is one of the key obstacles to effective self-organization. The immense diversity of Roma or Roma-related populations in terms of ethnicity, language, re- Roma refugees and IDPs ligion, social status, and cultural background often makes it Tens of thousands of Roma had to leave their homes during difficult to agree on common approaches. The Contact Point the recent conflicts in South-Eastern Europe and now live as works to overcome cleavages and tensions between the dif- refugees or IDPs in the former Yugoslav Republic of Mace- ferent sub-groups by acknowledging and openly discussing donia, Serbia, and other countries in the region. While some existing differences, while stressing the need for joint action 64