CONTACT POINT FOR ROMA AND SINTI ISSUES Andrzej Mirga, ODIHR’s Senior Adviser on Roma and Sinti Issues, speaks at a side event on human rights challenges faced by Roma and Sinti in the OSCE region, organized by ODIHR and the European Roma Rights Centre at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Warsaw, 23 September 2013. (OSCE/ Idaver Memedov) challenges in all areas of the Action Plan, sometimes exacerbated by the global economic crisis, and concerning trends of increased racism, anti-Roma rhetoric, extremism and violence targeting Roma and Sinti. The Status Report was launched at the third Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting (SHDM) on 7 and 8 November in Vienna, which was dedicated to Roma and Sinti issues and marked 10 years since the adoption of the OSCE Action Plan. The SHDM emphasized the challenges to implementing policy commitments regarding Roma and Sinti at the local level, where concrete measures in education, employment, housing and health are still needed to reverse negative trends, including evictions and continued segregation in education. Focusing particularly on Roma and Sinti women and youth, the event brought together more than 200 participants, including 128 delegates from 44 OSCE participating States, and representatives from 54 non-governmental organizations. Civil society actors stressed the need for increased participation of Roma and Sinti in the political, social and economic spheres, and especially of Roma and Sinti women and youth, who can play a crucial role for change in their communities. Their recommendations fed into MC Decision No. 4/13 on Enhancing OSCE Efforts to Implement the Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma Within the OSCE Area, with a particular focus on Roma and Sinti Women, Youth and Children, adopted by the Ministerial Council in Kyiv on 6 December. ODIHR invited more than 40 Roma and Sinti representatives for a civil society consultation meeting immediately prior to the SHDM to discuss the findings of the Status Report and ways forward to enhance policy implementation and address current trends and challenges. An issue particularly highlighted by the civil society representatives was negative public discourse targeting Roma and Sinti. Empowering Roma and Sinti representatives, particularly youth In 2013 ODIHR designated Roma and Sinti youth development as a priority, launching the Roma Youth Initiative. The project provided opportunities for Roma organizations to step up their activities at ODIHR Annual Report 2013  /   63