IV • Guaranteeing the rights of minority women and girls to be initiated is the recognition by Governments of the very existence of minorities on their territory. Governments should undertake data-gathering exercises that are designed and implemented in full consultation with minorities and minority women. Disaggregated data collection should serve three ends: it should be used first of all to assess the prevailing situation, then to assess the resources that are available and actual access to and use of such resources and finally to conduct an outcomes and impact assessment. Data collection should be conducted in an ethnically sensitive manner and on a voluntary basis, with full respect for the privacy and anonymity of the individuals concerned, in accordance with international standards of personal data protection. The reason for data collection, the process and the way that the information collected will be used should be fully transparent. Using equal opportunity and non-discrimination indicators is essential to develop, monitor and regularly review effective and targeted programmes to improve the situation of minority women and tackle discrimination against them. States should consider issuing a national status report or a white paper on the status of minority women. 20. Governments should take measures to identify and integrate consideration of minority women and the intersectional dimensions of discrimination, as well as a gender and minority perspective, in all national programmes, policies and initiatives relevant to minorities. Decisions on policy choices should be fully transparent and made with the full and effective participation of minority women. Obstacles preventing minority women’s participation in decision-making should be identified and addressed by prioritizing the development of a systematic and consistent approach to identifying, evaluating, monitoring and eliminating existing forms of discrimination against minority women and girls. 21. Governments should systematically include principles of gender equality in their planning and budgeting processes and policies, and allocate adequate resources to projects to address the priorities of minority women. Where they have gender-sensitive budgets, Governments should ensure that these include minority women, as should Governments where they have budgets for minorities or marginalized groups. 22. Governments should build multidimensional partnerships at the national and local levels with ministries, training institutions, parliaments, minority groups, women’s organizations and, more broadly, civil society organizations operating at policy or community levels. When working on gender equality and minority rights, all should collaborate in the development of clear, long-term strategies and programmes Compilation of Recommendations of the First Four Sessions 2008 to 2011 49 WOMEN AND GIRLS 19. Governments should evaluate and, where necessary, improve minority women’s access to information, including with regard to such areas as service provision, social and child services and health care. Where appropriate, this should be provided in their mother tongue and to those living in remote regions, and should include measures to facilitate access to and use of new information technologies, including social media.