24. The government has the lead role in formulating and implementing integration policy. Policy plans should define the roles and tasks of the different institutions and actors at the various levels of government. While integration policies are, to a large extent, implemented at the local level, it is essential that their formulation and implementation is co-ordinated at the national level to guarantee consistency throughout the territory and to ensure that the State as a whole meets its international obligations. Taking into account the territorial and administrative structure of the country, integration policies should define the roles and the tasks of different institutions at each level of government. In particular, this means the central authorities need to establish a clear and consistent division of tasks and responsibilities among the various institutions and actors at all levels. This also implies that the central authorities need to either create platforms (institutions or specific procedures) or designate existing platforms to perform these roles, as appropriate, through which conflicts of competences or disagreements on specific aspects of implementation can be discussed and settled. In federal States and autonomous regions, these tasks fall to the relevant competent authorities. 25. All levels of government should be involved in implementing integration policy. While the essential legal framework should be established at the central government level, local and, where existing, regional authorities are key actors in the contextualization and implementation of workable integration policy plans. As the degree of societal cohesion may vary significantly in different areas of a country, the role attributed to the local and, where appropriate, regional levels of government should be substantial with regard to both determining the content of policies and then implementing them. Local and regional authorities are vital to effective integration due to their administration of key areas, such as education, urban planning, culture, healthcare and welfare, among others.61 61 Important references in this regard can be found in the Council of Europe’s European Charter of Local Self Government, 1985 (ETS 122) and in the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework for Regional Democracy, 2009. Guidelines on Integration of Diverse Societies 33