also to influence and monitor local long-term policies and strategies towards Roma. This led to change of the Municipal policy towards Roma minority in acknowledging that actions by the Municipality authorities, including budget allocations, are needed to ensure Roma integration; 700 000 leva (about 350 000 euro) were allocated for activities towards Roma minority. Based on the lessons learned during our work with different levels of Governmental and Municipal administration, we would like to share the following thematic recommendations to the Forum:  States should implement positive actions to assure that minority representatives enjoy cultural, economical, and social rights to the same extend as the majority of the population, to ensure equal ability, capacity and resource for minority communities to exercise their right to political participation.  Concept of minority rights should be promoted widely among the all political actors in a given State to assure that minority rights activism and movements are correctly perceived not as secessionism motivated but as based on international recognized human rights standards aimed to ensure peaceful and fruitful cooperation between minorities and majority of the population, thus leading to a more stable and just State for all of the citizens;  Free and accessible education should be provided for minority members in minority rights as well as in the basic “civic knowledge ”, needed to effectively exercise their right to political participation; Footnote 1: