on economic matters consider the needs and concerns of national minorities and local or regional differences regarding the degree of societal cohesion, social and economic development, and access to public services, while also improving accountability in decision-making processes. The type of arrangement that is chosen will depend on the context and how the effective participation of national minorities can best be facilitated. Consequently, this may vary from one locality to another. States are ultimately responsible for ensuring the rights of persons belonging to national minorities on their territory and should ensure that local or regional arrangements are supported with adequate resources, uphold democratic principles and human rights standards, and that they do not adversely affect persons belonging to national minorities.81 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. Policymaking in the field of social and economic affairs is heavily dependent on reliable data, which needs to be regularly updated and disaggregated, at a minimum, by ethnicity, language, age, gender and geographical distribution. The methodology used for data collection should allow for multiple identifications.82 In the absence of reliable data, creating effective policies in areas such as housing, health care, employment or education is difficult and will have a limited impact on reducing social and economic inequalities. In addition to collecting disaggregated data concerning the social and economic status of the population, governments should also collect and make available data concerning the implementation, monitoring, impact and evaluation of the policies they formulate in this area. This will allow for better identification of best practices, which can then be adjusted for 81 82 36 Lund Recommendations, section III. See: Ljubljana Guidelines, Guideline 15. See also: FCNM AC, Commentary on Participation, paragraphs 30–31. Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Social and Economic Life