E/CN.4/2002/24 page 23 Institute in order to be enrolled in non-segregated schools in the city. This operation was successful and 460 Roma children are now enrolled in the city’s schools. The organizations working on the desegregation of Roma children in schools plan to extend this operation to the whole of Bulgaria in order to remedy the disastrous situation of Bulgarian Roma. 52. In this context, a conference was held in Sofia on 27 April 2001 and stressed the need for urgent action in this area. In fact, according to the 1992 census, only 4.9 per cent of Roma have a secondary-school leaving certificate and 0.1 per cent a university degree, whereas the figures for the rest of the Bulgarian population are 36.5 per cent and 8.4 per cent respectively. The participants in the conference recalled the responsibilities of the Bulgarian Government in action to combat racial discrimination, in particular in the light of Bulgaria’s obligations deriving from ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the prospect of its joining the European Union. 53. It was stressed that Bulgaria’s school system violates the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention against Discrimination in Education, both of which Bulgaria has ratified. In addition, European Council directive 2000/43, “Implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin”, which applies to European Union member States and accession countries like Bulgaria, prohibits both direct and indirect forms of discrimination and provides for reversal of the burden of proof when persons establish before the court facts from which it may be presumed that there has been direct or indirect discrimination. The terms of the directive could allow Romani parents to prove discrimination in Bulgaria by providing statistics and showing disparities in knowledge levels between students at all-Romani schools and students at mixed schools. 54. Despite the current situation of Roma in the Bulgarian educational system, the participants at the conference acknowledged the significance of the fact that prominent elected Bulgarian leaders such as President Stoyanov are willing to speak out on behalf of the Roma. This promising sign could be a first step towards building an alliance among Romani advocacy organizations, the Bulgarian Government, international NGOs, citizens, the press, local organizations, parents and teachers to carry successful initiatives like Vidin to the national level. 55. Participants at the Sofia Conference also took note of the fact that the Ministry of Education declared its commitment to the principles of equal opportunities in education, even if all-Romani schools could not be eliminated immediately. The Ministry is currently pursuing an education policy based on delegating responsibility to the local level and involving communities. It is also trying to involve Romani representatives in all stages of implementation, as well as to increase cooperation between civil organizations and State institutions. The Ministry is creating the position of “assistant teacher” to help Romani children and is committed to hiring them. 56. The Conference recommended, inter alia, that the Government produce a strategic desegregation plan with a budget and timetable and develop mechanisms to allocate funds from foreign donors to address the priorities established by the Framework Programme. Furthermore, the desegregation efforts will require the commitment of all available intellectual, financial and political resources. It was noted that the Europen Union, the Council of Europe, the World Bank and NGOs are interested in desegregation and many have specific programmes and ideas they