Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues by the Council of Europe, in discussions focusing on the progress made in implementing the Roma Youth Action Plan. Supporting governments and enhancing policy instruments As follow-up to ODIHR’s assistance in developing the Action Plan for the support of Roma people in the Republic of Moldova for 2011-2015, the Office assisted the Moldovan Bureau for Inter­-ethnic Relations in raising awareness about the Action Plan at the regional and local levels. Three regional roundtables, in Chisinau, Soroca and Cahul, were organized with regional and local authorities and Roma civil society representatives. Moreover, the Action Plan was translated into three languages (the state language, Russian and Romani) and leaflets in these three languages were produced and distributed to local authorities and Roma civil society organizations. ODIHR continued to address the vulnerable situation of Roma who lack civil-registration documents and supported the participation of three experts at the conference “Solving the Problems of People without Documents and Access to Rights”, held in Skopje in April within the framework of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, chaired by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. From 19 to 22 November, ODIHR, in co-operation with OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit, conducted a needs assessment visit to Ukraine. During the visit, the OSCE delegation held meetings with Ukrainian authorities, representatives of Roma civil society and Roma communities. The aim of this visit was to assess the progress toward developing a Ukrainian Roma Integration Strategy and Action Plan. In December, ODIHR and the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National 68 ODIHR Annual Report 2012 Minorities provided the Ukrainian authorities with comments to the draft Roma Integration Strategy. On 27 and 28 March, ODIHR held a meeting with the Roma Focal Points from across the OSCE field operations in Tirana to discuss and exchange information on ODIHR activities related to improving the situation of Roma and related groups in the Western Balkan region and to strengthen continued interaction between OSCE field operations and ODIHR in this area. Increased co-operation with intergovernmental and international organizations ODIHR continued its co-operation with other international actors working to improve the situation and enhance the integration of, and to combat discrimination and racism against, Roma and Sinti. ODIHR led a workshop at the International Stakeholder Conference on the Danube Region Strategy on 13 and 14 June in Vienna and provided its expertise to the Council of Europe’s Ad hoc Committee of Experts on Roma Issues at meetings in both Skopje (22 to 25 May) and Strasbourg (28 to 30 November). Moreover, on 23 and 24 April in Sarajevo, ODIHR participated in the Donor Conference on the Sarajevo Process, which discussed housing solutions for internally displaced persons and highlighted the need to find sustainable solutions for refugees and displaced Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians in the Western Balkans. ODIHR further co-operated with relevant EU institutions and provided input at the annual European Union Platform meeting in Brussels, on 21 and 22 May, and at the European Union Symposium “Making a tangible difference in Roma people’s lives”, held on 22 June in Vienna.

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