Best Practices for Roma Integration From the Roma for the Roma More than 1,000 stakeholders, mostly Roma, have been directly involved in activities and events organized by the Best Practices for Roma Integration (BPRI) project since its launch in June 2012. A key approach of the BPRI project is empowering the Roma community to work for their own integration. BPRI is a regional project funded by the European Union, supported by OSCE participating States and implemented by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The goal of the project is to contribute to the integration of Roma in the Western Balkan countries. Seven Roma researchers have been hired to present policy-practice gap studies throughout the Western Balkans, while 25 young Roma were engaged in a training programme as part of BPRI’s activities for securing greater participation of Roma in policymaking. These programmes seek to develop future leaders and advocates for the improvement of the overall situation of the Roma communities in the Western Balkans. The Policy Practice Gap Studies programme, for instance, was designed to help young Roma to research gaps in the current legislation that may affect Roma and give them a chance to strengthen their advocacy skills. Likewise, more than 30 Roma women benefitted from workshops provided by BPRI, where they learned more about the benefits of political participation and decisionmaking at the local level. The Roma-to-Roma principle was likewise used to support local Roma experts in their work on the creation and adoption of local action plans in municipalities in Albania with substantial numbers of Roma. In Montenegro, BPRI supported a Roma consultant in developing the local action plans in three municipalities where there was an identified need. Local action plans are an important tool for defining priorities for the integration of Roma communities at the municipal level. One of BPRI’s goals is to ensure that Roma communities participate in the development of these action plans, together with representatives of different municipal services. Fostering exchange of good practices regionally Beyond the local action plans, a number of positive, local practices in implementing policies have been designed to improve the situation of Roma. Thus, by promoting a regional approach to sharing experience among municipalities and jurisdictions, BPRI is facilitating the exchange of good practices and information about fundraising mechanisms. The BPRI project established and has provided expertise to a regional working group of local self-government representatives as a way to facilitate regional co-operation on the improvement of housing and living conditions in Roma settlements. Regional co-operation on the legalization of housing is one of the key elements in improving the general living conditions of the Roma, Ashkali and the Egyptians in the Western Balkans.  The project has four main components: increasing participation in political and public life and decisionmaking, promoting the legalization of housing in Roma settlements, combating discrimination, and raising the visibility of Roma communities. The project uses a regional co-operative approach to support these goals. Supporting Roma in finding alternative, innovative solutions that remove barriers to integration and improve their situation from around the Western Balkans and elsewhere is really what the Best Practices for Roma Integration project is all about. Senior representatives from ODIHR, the Council of Europe and the European Commission were on hand for the launch of the Best Practices for Roma Integration (BPRI) project in Budva, 27 June 2012. (OSCE/Aleksandar Mrdak) ODIHR Annual Report 2012 69