tion in Ukraine on 26 December 2004. This group has women throughout the OSCE region, while also en- since formed an international network called Romastos couraging greater participation in political life. that is now working to promote democratic structures and mechanisms within Roma communities and organ- The ODIHR is also doing its part, having adopted a spe- izations. In addition, Romastos is working to see that cial mentor programme focused on the empowerment OSCE election standards are used in the ongoing of Roma women. A number of experienced Roma process of selecting national representatives to the Eu- women activists were tasked by the ODIHR as early as ropean Roma and Travelers Forum, which was estab- 2001 with passing on their experiences and expertise to lished at the end of 2004 in partnership with the Coun- groups of young women active in NGOs working on cil of Europe. The aim in doing so is to ensure the Roma issues. legitimacy of those individuals and organizations selected to represent Roma and related groups in a vari- This network has provided the core for recent ODIHR ety of consultative and executive bodies at the local, initiatives to tackle certain cultural practices in Roma national, and international levels. communities that have a particularly negative effect on women, such as early and arranged marriages, which The observation of elections in a variety of countries may entail disadvantages for girls and young women in has shown a slow but constant trend towards greater getting equal access to schools and in exercising other inclusion of Roma constituencies in electoral institu- fundamental freedoms. tions, including increasing turnout among Roma voters, a greater understanding among Roma voters of The ODIHR organized an international conference in the political questions related to various electoral Bucharest in April that focused on Romania’s experi- events, an increase in the number of Roma elected to ence in promoting Roma and other minority women in municipal councils, and better knowledge and use of political and democratic processes. Romania saw, for procedures among elected bodies to promote better- example, a significant increase in the number of defined Roma-related policies (e.g., the promotion of a women candidates on party lists put forward by a vari- law to establish a Roma National Agency in Romania). ety of Roma associations for the parliamentary elections in November. The ODIHR is also working towards the establishment of a regional task force on Roma Special focus on Roma women and gender issues. So far, a national team has been esRoma women tend to be particularly disadvantaged, as tablished in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedo- they are often the victims of multiple forms of discrim- nia, and a Roma women’s network was set up in Ro- ination and social injustices both in their communities mania following the Bucharest conference. The and in their own families. One means of ending such regional task force will result from further networking discrimination is through empowering women to de- and co-ordination among these and other national mand that they be treated with respect and that their teams. rights be fully protected. While this is often easier said than done, the value of role models should not be Confidence-building and problem-solving at the local overlooked when it comes to empowerment. From level that point of view, 2004 was a milestone year, as two young Roma women from Hungary were elected to The ODIHR has been working to ensure that this part the European Parliament. Their achievements and of the Action Plan becomes a reality, mainly by bring- high-profile positions in European politics should cer- ing together Roma officials from a number of countries tainly provide a boost to the confidence of Roma at meetings throughout the year to share experiences, 74