10. Mechanisms should be established to ensure that the interests and needs of persons belonging to national minorities are taken into consideration by relevant ministries and inter-ministerial bodies, including institutions responsible for data collection, when decisions are taken that directly or indirectly affect national minorities. 11. There should be formal or informal understandings to allocate relevant cabinet positions, or positions on nominated advisory bodies or other high-level bodies, with responsibilities in social and economic areas to persons belonging to national minorities. 12. States should ensure that there is a meaningful and continuous dialogue between governmental authorities and national minorities on issues pertaining to their participation in social and economic life, such as housing, health care, education, employment, regional development, digital inclusion and the environment. Standing bodies for this purpose should have sufficient access, capacity and resources to ensure effectiveness. 13. States should endow regional and local authorities with appropriate competencies and financial resources to ensure that economic decision-making is closest to those most affected by it, thereby also facilitating the effective social and economic participation of national minorities. 14. The relevant authorities should carry out regular collection of data about the social and economic situation disaggregated by relevant criteria, including ethnicity, language, religion, age, gender and geographical distribution. The data collection processes should involve persons belonging to national minorities at all stages, including methodology design, data collection and analysis, and data protection. The authorities should conduct this exercise in accordance with international standards, including the right to privacy and the right to self-identification. III. Public Goods and Services 15. Equal access to public goods and services without direct or indirect discrimination should be ensured and is a necessary precondition for the effective social and economic participation of persons belonging to national minorities. 12 Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Social and Economic Life