A/HRC/34/68 Collection of accurate information 51. States and the United Nations and other humanitarian and development actors should conduct research to refine the profiling of crisis-affected communities and sharpen the needs and capacity assessments prepared prior to a crisis. It is essential to have at all times a full and accurate picture of affected minority communities, including their composition (e.g. identification of vulnerable persons), their needs and their capacities. Capacity assessments should be carried out in preparation for recovery initiatives. 52. States should guarantee, particularly in times of crisis, the independent work of civil society organizations and national human rights institutions in monitoring and reporting on the situation of minorities in the country. In this respect, civil society should be granted access to the camps housing refugees and internally displaced persons in order to carry out their work. 53. The United Nations and other humanitarian actors should complement and support the work of civil society and seek to identify the causes and triggers of displacement of minority communities and assess whether the cause of displacement is linked to their minority status. The specific experience of minorities in humanitarian crises should be documented and publicized with the aim of raising the awareness of national governments and the international community and fostering greater recognition, political support and commitment of resources for the situation of minorities in crises. 54. National human rights institutions should engage in independent monitoring, analysis and reporting and other functions to ensure protection for and non-discrimination of minorities in crisis situations and to prevent a disproportionate impact of the crisis on minorities. Data collection 55. States should ensure that data collection and analysis, including profiling and assessments, are carried out in a non-discriminatory manner, regardless of nationality or lack thereof, and in a manner that captures the needs and vulnerabilities of those affected or displaced by crises while ensuring their protection. Data, disaggregated by age, sex, diversity and location, should be collected for the protection of human rights, the implementation of durable solutions to displacement and the assessment of specific needs and vulnerabilities of affected minority populations. 13 During any data-collection process, all persons should be free to specify any characteristic relating to their identity, including multiple identities, and to choose whether or not they wish to be identified as belonging to a minority group. 56. The United Nations and other humanitarian actors should promote and support comprehensive profiling and collection of disaggregated data on minority groups in shelters, refugee camps or camps and settlements of internally displaced persons, as well as in other settings, to identify problems which may otherwise not be apparent owing to the marginalization of these communities and to help inform solutions. Protecting persons belonging to minorities 57. All parties to armed conflicts must fully respect the presumption of civilian status of members of minority groups on an equal footing as persons belonging to the majority 13 10 Governments are encouraged to use the services of the Joint Internally Displaced Person Profiling Service which has been set up to offer technical support in this regard, as recommended by the Human Rights Council in resolutions 20/9 and 32/11, and by the General Assembly in resolutions 68/180 and 70/165.