Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues history of marginalization and discrimination that Roma and Sinti have been confronted with. Another factor that contributes to this situation is the lack of awareness among Roma and Sinti both of how to exercise their political rights and of the positive influence that political participation can have for them. Although there has been an increase in the participation of Roma and Sinti in public life in recent years, participation in elections remains disproportionately low. By encouraging Roma and Sinti to take part in electoral processes and to make informed choices when voting, the Office promotes and supports state measures that foster greater representation of Roma and Sinti in political life and public institutions, which may help ensure that pertinent issues end up on the platforms of mainstream political parties. Roma and elections For several years, ODIHR has been conducting a programme called “Roma, use your ballot wisely!”. It has also supported the participation of Roma and Sinti individuals as both long- and short-term observers in ODIHR election observation missions. This serves the dual purpose of diversifying election missions and helping Roma representatives gain an in-depth understanding of the electoral process. The fact that Roma and Sinti individuals are now regularly seconded to observation missions points to the success of this activity in mainstreaming Roma into the election observation process. Roma integration In June, ODIHR organized a joint roundtable on Roma integration with an international NGO called Project on Ethnic Relations. The meeting brought together scholars, activists, and “One lesson is that proactive measures are absolutely needed. It is not sufficient to unblock some hindrances — there is a need to compensate for the long history of exclusion and marginalization through positive discrimination.” — Presentation by Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the HDIM, Warsaw, 27 September 2007 64 Annual Report 2007 politicians to explore the underlying reasons that Roma are often prevented from integrating into the communities where they live, including discrimination, poverty, marginalization, low levels of education, limited access to labour markets, residential segregation, and low levels of political participation. Participants also offered recommendations to address these challenges. Roma political participation At the HDIM in 2007, a special day on Roma and Sinti was held under the heading “OSCE Action Plan on Roma and Sinti: participation in political life, overcoming discrimination”. Discussions revealed that, despite certain efforts and initiatives, Roma and Sinti are still underrepresented in public and political life. A number of negative trends were identified, such as low voter turnout among Roma, a lack of civic education, and insufficient efforts by political parties to reach out to this constituency. IV. Ensuring that the fundamental rights of Roma and Sinti are respected in crisis and post-crisis situations Roma in Kosovo More than 150,000 Roma were caught in the 1998-1999 conflict, when many were targeted by ethnic Albanian forces who considered them Serb collaborators, while the Serbian army routed Roma from Kosovo Albanian villages. More than 120,000 fled Kosovo and are currently IDPs in Serbia or are living in the European Union. The Roma and Ashkali Documentation Centre (RADC) in Pristina and Mitrovica was established in 2005 to help IDPs living in camps in Northern Mitrovica and returnees present their interests to the authorities responsible for addressing their problems. In March, ODIHR staff visited camps in Kosovo where Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians are still living to discuss, with staff from the RADC, issues related to the transfer of IDPs to the reconstructed Mahalla in Southern Mitrovica. Other topics discussed included the RADC’s plans to conduct civic