A/67/293 implementation is characterized by mainstreaming initiatives in which numerous bodies work together to achieve common goals. The challenges in planning and management across institutions require institutional leadership so as to ensure that all actors fulfil their responsibilities. 34. Specialist bodies or dedicated departments are beneficial to meeting groupspecific goals. In 2011, member States of the European Union (EU) adopted a Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies, recognizing it as a major step towards achieving a more socially cohesive Europe. Member States agreed to prepare, update or develop by the end of 2011, national Roma inclusion strategies, or integrated sets of policy measures within their broader social inclusion policies for improving the situation of Roma. They reaffirmed that national efforts should focus on priority areas of education, employment, health care and housing so as to close the gaps between Roma and the general population. 11 States agreed to appoint a national contact point or use an already existing body to ensure effective monitoring of Roma inclusion strategies and measures and foster the exchange of good practices. 35. National and international actors responsible for developing policy and programmes to achieve the Millennium Development Goals should consider providing dedicated attention to the situation of minorities and projects targeted towards them. In the field of development, poverty alleviation and national strategies for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the mandate of the Independent Expert has highlighted the need for attention to minorities within national action plans and strategies to ensure that disadvantaged minorities are not left behind or fail to benefit from Millennium Development Goal strategies owing to discrimination, exclusion or neglect. 12 A survey of Millennium Development Goal country reports and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers highlighted the low level of attention to minorities even in countries with large and impoverished minority communities. 13 36. Regional intergovernmental bodies can promote national attention to minority issues. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights can be interpreted as containing provisions for protection of minorities; however, in African States attention to minority issues is relatively weak. The African Commission has a Working Group on Indigenous Populations and is encouraged to consider creating a similar body to promote national attention to minorities. The Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is drafting a human rights declaration; and the Organization of American States has a working group to prepare a draft inter-American convention against racism and all forms of discrimination and intolerance. Inclusion of strong minority rights provisions in such regional standards could promote and require national attention to minority rights. __________________ 11 12 13 12-45950 See the Presidency report of the Council of the European Union (10665/11), Brussels, 26 May 2011. See the report of the Independent Expert on minority issues (A/HRC/4/9), sect. I, entitled “Minorities, poverty and the Millennium Development Goals: assessing global issues”. See the addendum to the report of the Independent Expert of 2 February 2007, entitled “Achieving the Millennium Development Goals for minorities: a review of MDG country reports and poverty reduction strategies” (A/HRC/4/9/Add.1). 13