A/HRC/34/51/Add.2 employment. A broad study that was subsequently conducted found that housing conditions of Roma communities were particularly inadequate: approximately 31 per cent of the Roma population were living in a vulnerable situation, in substandard housing conditions, often in informal settlements consisting of barracks, shacks or tents, or in derelict housing units rented on the private market.23 Roma communities, mainly comprising individuals and households not resettled under the PER programme, currently live in marginalized neighbourhoods, distant from city centres and without services or access to employment. The situation compounds existing physical, social and accessibility barriers, and in some cases leads to the emergence of interethnic conflicts. 72. The Special Rapporteur was informed that the integration strategy was the first targeted public policy for Roma. Its main objective is to strengthen practices that promote the integration of Roma communities in several areas, including housing. The strategy is used to tailor housing solutions, for example, by determining eligibility for resettlement and promoting access to the rental market and private property without discrimination. 24 73. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recently expressed concern about Roma continuing to face discrimination in access to housing, and recommended that special measures be taken to improve housing conditions (CERD/C/PRT/CO/15-17). Similarly, in 2014, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights reported concerns that waiting lists for social housing were long and that many Roma did not meet the eligibility requirements for social housing under the Special Rehousing Programme (see para. 33 above) as they had not been included in the census conducted in 1993 (E/C.12/PRT/CO/4). B. People of African descent 74. The Special Rapporteur is concerned at the exclusion and discrimination experienced by some persons of African origin, largely from former Portuguese colonies, such as Angola, Cabo Verde and Mozambique, who are also among the poorest and most deprived in terms of access to adequate housing. People of African descent coexist with Roma in informal settlements, where they are forced to live in grossly inadequate conditions, marked by the lack of sufficient available social housing and of a rent supplement programme, or any other private market access-to-housing solution for those living in poverty. 75. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination underlined its concern that, despite the long presence of Africans and persons of African descent in Portugal and their contribution to the development of the country, they were still subjected to racism, with no programmes specially targeting their concerns, including with regard to housing (CERD/C/PRT/CO/15-17, para. 22). C. Persons with disabilities 76. In 2006, Portugal adopted the Disability Act, which prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities and promotes their full participation in society. It also has a national strategy on disability. The Special Rapporteur was informed,, however, that persons with disabilities are subject to a number of barriers with regard to the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing. The Ombudsperson confirmed that accessibility remains a 23 24 16 Ibid., p. 6. Manuela Mendes et al., “Estudo nacional sobre as comunidades ciganas”, December 2014, p. 28.