Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues The work of ODIHR’s Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues (CPRSI) is based on the 2003 OSCE Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area, as well as on Ministerial Council Decision No. 6/08, “Enhancing OSCE Efforts to Implement the Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area” (Helsinki, 2008) and Decision No. 8/09, “Enhancing OSCE Efforts to Ensure Roma and Sinti Sustainable Integration” (Athens, 2009). Combating hate crimes and hate speech directed against Roma and Sinti has become a recurrent issue in a number of OSCE participating States. In 2011, ODIHR continued its efforts to provide assistance in this area by conducting visits to a number of countries to share the Office’s expertise. In addition, a full day during the annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, 5 October, was designated the Special Day on Roma and Sinti and dedicated to enhancing OSCE commitments in this area. ODIHR continued to provide support to participating States in developing policies to improve the situation of Roma and Sinti and in implementing these policies effectively. The Office also enhanced its co-operation with other international and European actors, and with EU institutions in particular. ODIHR has become a key partner for the European Commission Directorate General Enlargement: In 2011, the Office organized and participated in a series of highlevel roundtables on Roma inclusion in South-Eastern Europe, and in November ODIHR was awarded a European Commission grant of more than 3 million euros for the regional project “Best Practices for Roma Integration” in the Western Balkans. Activities Guided by the OSCE commitments with regard to Roma and Sinti, ODIHR concentrated its activities in 2011 in the following areas: '' Supporting governments and enhancing policy instruments; hate crimes and discrimination against Roma and Sinti throughout the OSCE area, including conducting follow-up activities on ODIHR field assessment visits to Italy (2008) and Hungary (2009); '' Teaching about the Roma and Sinti genocide and promoting official recognition of the genocide; '' Supporting the empowerment of Roma and Sinti representatives; and '' Addressing the situation of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities in the Western Balkans region. '' Combating Supporting governments and enhancing policy instruments ODIHR provided assistance to participating States in the development of national Roma integration strategies. The Office supported the Moldovan authorities in the development and finalization of the Action Plan for the support of Roma people in the Republic of Moldova for 2011-2015 and, in co-operation with the Moldovan Bureau for Interethnic Relations, hosted a roundtable on 7 and 8 April in Chisinau to discuss the Action Plan with relevant government representatives, Roma civil society organizations and international stakeholders. In the area of education, ODIHR, in co-operation with the Council of Europe, met with Greek authorities on 4 and 5 May in Athens to promote access of Roma 62 ODIHR Annual Report 2011