A/HRC/29/24 States within Europe.46 The Special Rapporteur has found that no comparable studies or research have been conducted in other regions, nor did she receive relevant information from non-European States. Without information to the contrary, and given their marginalized status, she can only infer that Roma outside Europe experience comparable, if not heightened, political exclusion. 39. Roma may be intentionally or de facto restricted from participation. Barriers include the lack of political will to dismantle structural discrimination, including the persistence of negative stereotypes assuming that Roma have no interest and no skills for engaging in politics. 40. Exclusion from public and political life must therefore be seen as both a cause and a consequence of the lack of enjoyment of economic and social rights, including lack of education opportunities, poverty, substandard living conditions and language barriers. The Special Rapporteur also underlines how the widespread fragility of Roma individuals’ legal status impedes political participation. For example, in the Middle East, some Dom individuals are reportedly unable to pay hospital fees when their children are born, so no birth certificate is issued and the possibility of securing citizenship is denied. IV. Positive developments 41. The Special Rapporteur notes that, due to the scant or total lack of information received from countries outside Europe, it was difficult for her to provide a balanced assessment of initiatives regarding Roma programmes across the regions. Nevertheless, she attempts to highlight some key examples using the pillar framework. A. Pillar 1: preventing and addressing violence against Roma 42. Although not all European States officially recognize 2 August as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, the Special Rapporteur is pleased that the European Parliament has recently adopted a resolution on recognition of the memorial day of the Roma genocide during the Second World War and that that many States are moving in that direction.47 In order to better recognize the victims of the Roma genocide and to improve understanding of the situation of the Roma in Sweden, in 2014 the Government published a white paper highlighting abuses and rights violations of Roma throughout the twentieth century and showing the negative stereotyping and discrimination they continue to face. 43. In 2014, ternYpe, the International Roma Youth Network, and its partners organized a conference and youth event gathering 1,000 people from 25 countries to raise awareness among young Europeans, civil society and decision makers about the Roma Holocaust, as well as about anti-Gypsyism in the context of racism, hate speech and extremism in Europe. 44. The European Commission programme, Strategies for Effective Police Stop and Search project was designed to improve police-minority relations through more accountable use of policing power. It has been implemented with police and Roma in Bulgaria, Hungary and Spain and has proven effective in improving police relations with Roma, producing more efficient policing activities and increased legitimacy and trust. 46 47 12 See www.errc.org/cms/upload/file/roma-rights-1-2012-challenges-of-representation.pdf. Council of Europe, Ad hoc Committee of Experts on Roma issues, “Overview on the recognition of the genocide of Roma and Sinti and on the officialisation of the date of 2 August as a commemoration day for the victims of World War II in Member States of the Council of Europe” (2013).