E/CN.4/2000/16/Add.1 page 20 discrimination in Romania. The draft also contains provisions concerning the establishment of a national council against discrimination, which will be a governmental body able to investigate cases of discrimination and to apply sanctions in case of violations of the law. 86. Pending the establishment of the council against discrimination, the Ombudsman’s representatives have reported receiving several complaints from persons of Roma origin, mostly about discriminatory treatment, either by the police or in the areas of health and social assistance. 5. Measures taken by the police 87. The police inspectorate, in partnership with several Roma associations, has taken several steps to prevent crime within the Roma ethnic group. The programmes implemented aim to: (a) Determine the needs and characteristics of the Roma ethnic group so as to be able to deal with any problems the police might come up against in a fair and non-discriminatory manner; (b) Set out police suggestions for ways of dealing with specific problems of the ethnic group, while respecting citizens’ rights and freedoms; (c) Put into practice crime prevention strategies within the ethnic group in order to change the way the group is perceived by the rest of the population. In several symposia, police officers and representatives of the Roma have discussed how the relationship between the Roma and the police is perceived, and the role and place of the police officer in a multi-ethnic State. Joint programmes involving Roma associations and the police have been devised to make communication between them easier. 88. Courses on the implications of law-breaking have been given to social workers dealing with the Roma. Between 1996 and 1998, 25 meetings were organized to bring together the police, local leaders of the Roma minority and the administration with a view to preventing violence and resolving the conflicts that are common in certain districts. D. Activities of United Nations bodies 89. The representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said that UNDP supported the Government’s efforts to improve the economic and social situation of the Roma. Hence, a pilot project with funding of US$ 187,000 has been launched to eliminate poverty among the Roma in the Zabauti district of Bucharest and in the town of Negresti (Vaslui county). 90. The representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees expressed concern about the large number of stateless persons among the Roma, particularly among Roma children whose birth has not been registered with the Romanian authorities and who still have no form of identification. The Office of the High Commissioner is of the view that Romania’s