III • Minorities and effective participation in economic life representatives. In cases in which minorities have lost land rights owing to theft or deceit, forced displacement or eviction, measures should be taken to ensure that they have the possibility to assert claims to these lands, or to gaining access to agreed upon equivalent land elsewhere. In post-conflict or post-displacement situations, processes for land and property restitution should be established and implemented. 28. Education is a key aspect of improving the economic participation of minorities. Governments should ensure that persons belonging to minorities have equal access to quality education leading to equal educational outcomes. Education should comply with international standards on the right to education for minorities, including mother-tongue education, curriculum reform, teacher training and investment in educational facilities used by minorities.2 Governments are encouraged to collect data on educational attainment levels of minorities and to identify key barriers to higher educational attainment. Programmes to overcome these barriers may include targeted support for children at risk, targeted grants and scholarships for primary, secondary and higher education, school support and outreach to families, and community cooperation initiatives with minority communities and organizations. Such programmes should pay special attention to social and cultural barriers based on gender and, in particular, must ensure personal safety, including protection from sexual abuse, and the right to water and sanitation facilities for adolescent girls. 29. Governments should invest in programmes that build employable skills for minorities, particularly women, who are often excluded from the labour market or at higher risk of unemployment. This could include the development of traineeships targeted for minorities; the provision of adult education, in areas where minorities live, that would include vocational training and qualifications for higher-skilled sectors; targeted scholarships and research fellowships for higher education; and free access to language and literacy training. Ensuring equal access to new technologies for minorities, including in the energy and information communications technology sectors, can counteract growing inequality gaps and increase the productive skills capacity of minorities. 2 See A/HRC/FMI/2008/2. Compilation of Recommendations of the First Four Sessions 2008 to 2011 33 ECONOMIC LIFE 27. Persons belonging to minorities are often not able to obtain full and equal access to social protections and security. Minorities are more likely to work in the informal economy, where contributions to social security schemes are unlikely. Governments should take steps to ensure that minorities are aware of their rights and how to have access to them. Cash transfer schemes and related social protection measures should be adapted to take account of vulnerabilities and risks due to discrimination based on minority identity. Social security programmes should be accessible to workers in the informal economy. Where access to social protection measures are contingent on identity cards, special measures should be taken to accommodate minorities who often face barriers to obtaining identity cards and birth registration created by prejudice.