A/HRC/4/9 page 22 development initiatives can also be extremely valuable. Evaluation of development programmes in Romania found that by addressing Roma and non-Roma living in close proximity, project interventions could create stronger community cohesion.35 92. In Nepal, UNDP community development projects have earmarked a proportion of project resources for excluded groups. In the Decentralized Finance and Development Program, a minimum of 30 per cent of project funds are to be used to benefit women and Dalits. Direct support to minorities themselves can also be effective. The European Commission devised a major budget line to support civil society activities for minorities. The European Democracy and Human Rights Initiative set as one of its four funding priorities for 2002-2004 “Combating racism and xenophobia and discrimination against minorities and indigenous peoples”. In 2002, some 21,000,000 euros were allocated to 32 projects under this funding line, mainly for activities in developing countries or countries in transition. 93. An appropriate legal and regulatory framework is vital for supporting poverty reduction strategies. Access to justice for persons belonging to minorities will often be weaker at all stages of the legal process, from support from police to investigate crimes against their businesses, to strong anti-discrimination legislation to safeguard labour rights. Constitutional provisions that recognize diversity and equality of all citizens are a good foundation. Detailed legal frameworks for non-discrimination should be accompanied by legal and regulatory mechanisms to enforce the legislation, including labour tribunals, ombudspersons and equal opportunities policies. 94. Under the Racial Equality Directive and the Employment Equality Directive, EU member States have to strengthen their national non-discrimination laws. In the United Kingdom, the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 make it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of religion or belief in employment and vocational training. They prohibit direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, victimization and harassment. Equally, newly acceded EU States are required to adopt new legislation, such as Hungary’s comprehensive Act No. CXXV on Equal Treatment and the Promotion of Equal Opportunities. E. The work of the United Nations and other institutions in the area of minorities, poverty alleviation and Millennium Development Goals 95. Governments bear the primary responsibility to ensure that minorities can overcome poverty, however, the United Nations and international development agencies can be important partners. The response of agencies to the recommendations of representatives of indigenous peoples has been positive, in the form of adoption of special policies and targeted programming and projects. However similar efforts for other ethnic, religious or linguistic minority groups have been much less pronounced. 96. While many international development agencies have dedicated policies or programmes for indigenous peoples, no agency has a corresponding programme for other 35 UNDP Romania, Evaluation of Programmes Targeting Roma Communities in Romania, (Cluj-Napoca, Romania: UNDP Romania, 2006).