CONTACT POINT FOR ROMA AND SINTI ISSUES  //  57 Intervention by Roma activist Nesime Salioska, Executive Director of Association ROMA S.O.S., during the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw, 18 September 2017. (OSCE/Ewa Jasińska) “Y oung Roma and Sinti women can serve as valuable leaders and role models in communities throughout the OSCE area. The way forward is to ensure mechanisms for their active and effective participation, especially in policy processes that concern them.” — Natalia Duminica, young Roma professional from Moldova ODIHR provided professional development opportunities for young Roma and Sinti within its office by recruiting two junior experts to work on programmatic activities, including those relating to Roma and Sinti youth, for six months at the Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues in Warsaw. The experience allowed the experts to become familiar with the work of an inter-governmental ­organization and helped them to gain relevant knowledge and practical skills, in line with the OSCE’s goals on the inclusion of Roma and Sinti youth in public and political life. ODIHR also raised the awareness of OSCE institutions, participating States and the wider public of the situation of Roma and Sinti youth by supporting their participation in OSCE organized events, including the “OSCE Youth Conference: Working with Youth for Youth: Strengthening Security and Co-operation Online” on 25 and 26 May in Malaga, Spain. The three young Roma participants, supported by ODIHR, provided their expertise in working groups on youth political participation and on promoting tolerance and countering disinformation online. They also contributed to discussions and provided recommendations on how to address the barriers to participation faced by Roma and Sinti youth. Ten Roma women activists were supported to participate in the second OSCE Gender Equality Review Conference on 12 and 13 June in Vienna. The group contributed to the conference by representing the issues faced by Roma and Sinti women. The participants came from Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Ireland, Romania and Ukraine. ODIHR also supported the participation of four young Roma activists in the conference “#OSCEyouth: Regional Connectivity & Millennials”, organized by the OSCE Mission to Serbia on 13 and 14 December. In addition, an ODIHR staff member participated in the OSCE Ministerial Council side event “Youth, Peace and Security”, convened by the Austrian Chairmanship and its Special Representatives on Youth and Security, and was a lead discussant in the group on concrete measures, challenges and best practices for ensuring the political participation of youth in the OSCE area.